My Super Best Friend
by Lord Candycane
Summary: Post-Season 21. Stan hopes that things will go back to normal now that he's seemingly patched things up with Kyle. However, it's clear there are still some open wounds that refuse to close, and as Kyle sinks further into a depression, Stan struggles to repair the bond that once seemed unbreakable. If not, he could lose his Super Best Friend forever.
1. Prologue

_With Season 23 only months away, I've been inspired to write a new story, this one focusing on the events of Season 21. The story takes place shortly after "Splatty Tomato"._

_Be warned; this story won't be as comedic as my previous ones. _

* * *

**_My Super Best Friend_**

* * *

"Can I talk to Kyle?"

Stanley "Stan" Marsh sighed heavily as he stood at the doorsteps of the Broflovski residence. His hands were clenched inside his coat pockets and his head was lowered, unwilling to look his best friend's mother in the face.

"Kyle is in his room, sweetie," Mrs. Broflovski replied, her voice heavy. "But I don't think he wants to see anyone right now."

_He never does, _Stan thought mentally.

"Please, can I just talk to him?" He said, fidgeting in his spot. "It's important."

Mrs. Broflovski sighed, and Stan felt relieved when the door creaked open fully. "Alright, Stan," She said. "Come in."

Still not looking her in the face, Stan slowly stepped inside. He didn't even acknowledge Kyle's father as he wandered into the living room and up the stairs to see his best friend. If they still were, at least.

He didn't know why he was so nervous. He'd been at Kyle's house more times than he could count. What made this any different?

_Oh, yeah, _Stan thought when he finally reached Kyle's room and gazed through the open door. _That's why._

Inside his room, Kyle sat with his head on his desk, turned away from him. His face was concealed under his green ushanka, but Stan could tell from the way his body was slumped that he wasn't in good condition. His room itself didn't look any better; his belongings were disarranged and scattered across his room, as if Kyle had forgotten the concept of tidiness.

Not knowing if Kyle was aware of his presence, Stan hesitantly stepped inside. "Kyle?" He said, his voice heavy.

He got no response.

"Kyle, are you alright?" Stan continued, even though he knew the answer.

"No," Was the reply he got. Kyle didn't move at all, still keeping his head down.

Sighing, Stan went on. "So, uh, me and the boys were gonna play basketball by the park today," He said, trying to keep his voice from wobbling. "You've always been a good offensive, so I wondering if-"

"No."

Silence filled the room. "Look, our friends are worried about you," Stan said, his voice cutting through the air. "You barely leave your house now. Can you at least talk to us?"

"I don't want to," Kyle muttered, a defeated tone in his voice.

"Well when will you?" Stan asked, beginning to get frustrated.

"I don't know!" Kyle responded sharply, his voice rising for the first time since the conversation had started.

Another awkward silence passed. Eventually, Stan moved forward, lightly placing his hand upon Kyle's shoulder, in what he hoped was a comforting gesture. The moment he made contact, however, Kyle violently jerked away from his touch, causing Stan to recoil sharply.

"G-Get out," Kyle whispered, and Stan could tell from the way his voice cracked that he was on the verge of tears. He wished so badly that he could stay and comfort him, somehow, but he knew he would only make things worse.

So, sadly, he complied.

As he left the room, he wondered to himself how things had gotten to this point, the point to where he could barely even talk to his best friend. Then, he remembered why.

_Heidi._

Her breakup with Cartman was still fresh in his mind, ever since they'd gone out to find Kyle's brother and capture the President. They'd only succeeded in one of those objectives, but nevertheless, the experience had finally convinced her to abandon her victimhood mindset and leave Cartman to return to her girl friends. From what he knew, she'd been accepted back, but clearly not all the wounds had healed.

Especially regarding Kyle.

Back when Heidi and Cartman were still a thing, Kyle had gone out of his way to end their toxic relationship. Stan hadn't understood why, and he couldn't bring himself to get involved; anything that happened between Cartman and Heidi wasn't his business, and he'd hoped Kyle would understand this, too. Clearly, he'd underestimated how important Heidi had been to Kyle.

Then the bullying started.

_Mrs. Broflovski, _the taunts echoed in his mind. If he'd known how much this would've affected his best friend, he probably would've tried to put an end to it, somehow. But he thought it was just a joke, like everyone else, so he laughed along with all the rest, blind to the betrayed expression Kyle had given him when his tormentors' insults were validated. He didn't think it would turn into such a big deal.

However, for all that they'd mocked him for "sounding like his mom", it was obvious they didn't actually think that. Because none of them, not even Cartman and Heidi, could've anticipated what Kyle had done next.

He still remembered feeling like he'd been hit with a freight train when he saw his best friend on the TV, leading an embargo on _The Terrance & Phillip Show _under the banner of Millennials Against Canada. The fact that Kyle technically wasn't a millennial didn't escape him, but that didn't stop him from trying to talk some sense into him.

_"Okay dude, I didn't want to have to say this, but you're really starting to sound like your mom," _He'd told him over the phone. In hindsight, that definitely wasn't the correct choice of words, because all that did was guarantee that Kyle wasn't going to take anything he had to say seriously.

What happened next was a blur. First there was a military alert, then the evacuation. . .

And then the bomb dropped.

Stan still wasn't sure precisely what had occurred between Kyle and the President during their phone call, but whatever it was, it was obviously that Canada being nuked definitely hadn't been Kyle's agenda, as immediately afterwards, he'd given up, ended the embargo, and returned home to wallow in despair over the deaths he'd inadvertently caused.

Stan had felt he should've been angrier at him for what he'd done. But for some reason, he hadn't been. Maybe it was the knowledge that the bombing clearly hadn't been Kyle's intentions, or perhaps even a feeling of responsibility for helping set those events in motion by just being a bystander to it all, but whatever the reason, Stan and the others had taken pity on him. And thus, he decided to do what he felt he should've done from the beginning; become an active player and try to set things right.

Jury was still out on whether he and the others had succeeded. They'd failed to capture the President and relations were still rocky between the US and Canada, but they had managed to get Kyle's brother back, and Heidi had seen the light and ended her toxic relationship with Cartman. A part of him had expected that things would've gone back to normal now that Heidi was no longer tormenting Kyle, especially since Kyle had seemed so glad to finally have Stan and the others' support again.

But once the situation calmed down, it was like Kyle had. . . shut down. He'd shut himself off from his friends and spent most of his time locked up in his room, not talking to anyone. And when he went to school, he didn't socialize with his friends anymore, just doing his schoolwork and then leaving.

Stan had hoped all would've been forgiven now that he'd made the effort to patch things up.

But it seemed, however, that he'd been hoping for too much.

* * *

Kyle sat in his room, his head throbbing violently from the splitting migraine that had been tormenting him for days. The migraine that appeared to have gotten worse when Stan had shown up.

He didn't understand, truly. Things should've been fine now. He'd gotten what he'd wanted. He'd gotten his brother back, his friends had stopped teasing him, and most importantly, Heidi had left Cartman.

But did these positives outweigh the negatives?

Even though the bullying had, for the most part, ceased, he could still hear the constant stream of insults barraging his mind, punishing him for _what? _For trying to help people?

_"Shut up, Kyle, you sound like your mom!"_

He'd just wanted to help everyone with their problems. Didn't the other kids _want _Cartman and Heidi to stop picking on everyone? But when he'd tried, they'd just turned on him instead.

_"Fight's over. Kyle ruined it."_

It was like every attempt to make a positive impact was thrown back in his face. As if, for some reason, not being an asshole was unacceptable. That he should've just shut up and joined the crowd in their cruelty.

_"Shouldn't you be at temple, Mrs. Broflovski?"_

Of course, despite all his attempts to be the better person, ultimately the taunting and jeers had gotten to him, and he'd turned into the very thing he'd tried to prevent. And it ended with over a million people dead. All because of him.

All because he had to join the crowd in being a victim.

Ironically, only then was he shown even a smidgen of sympathy and some of his friends had tried to help him. And ultimately, he'd gotten what he'd striven for all along; Heidi had left Cartman. He could no longer hurt her.

He should've been happier. But instead, he just felt utterly _defeated. _Heidi may have been recovering, but only after so much damage had been caused, to the point that it didn't even seem worth it.

For what it was worth, Heidi was obviously going back to normal, and her girl friends had accepted her back into her clique. But, and he knew it was a selfish thought, what about _him_?

He'd been the one who'd gone through so much just to help her. None of Heidi's "friends" had put in even a fraction the effort he had, and instead, they'd simply considered her a lost cause, to the point that they'd begun preferring _Cartman _over her. And when he tried to improve things, not only did they blow him off, but they'd taken part in ganging up on him, too, for even considering that there was still hope in her.

And after all that, they'd just accepted her back, because she'd changed. He had to wonder if any of them were even grateful to him for helping set her change in motion, even though he'd given up on her by then. Were they even sorry for having considered her a lost cause?

He had so many questions, and they'd all gone unanswered. But by far the biggest was simply _was it worth it?_

Was creating Millennials Against Canada worth it? Was getting over a million Canadians killed worth it? Was losing his little brother's respect worth it? Was tanking the constant barrage of insults, jeers, and abuse, and from his closest friends no less, for simply trying to make things right _worth it?_

Heidi and her friends were currently benefiting from his actions, but what did he have to show for any of it? He'd gotten people killed, Ike, his little brother, his treasure, was angry at him and may never forgive him, and he'd been made a pariah by the rest of the school, a status that likely hadn't been improved after the stunt he'd pulled.

_"You sound like your mom."_

_"-Like your mom."_

_"-Your mom."_

"AUGH!"

Kyle felt his fists smash into the front of the desk, and heard a crunching sound. Removing his hands, he saw a pair of fist-shaped dents that had been in the desk.

Slowly, he stared down at his hands, before burying his face into them, feeling the tears streaming from his cheeks.

"What the Hell is wrong with me?" He whispered.

* * *

_First chapter done. Read and review!_


	2. Distrust

_Nicole980: Kyle's my favorite character, so naturally the events of Season 21, particularly the latter half, were rather painful to watch for me. At the same time, though, I do want to see his feelings explored more._

_South Down: Yes._

* * *

"Kyle, as your counselor, I'm here to help you with whatever problems you might have, m'kay?" Mr. Mackey told the young redhead the following day at school. "Now, what seems to be the problem?"

Kyle bit his tongue for a moment before replying. "Okay, so, this may be a little hard to explain," He said, rubbing the back of his head. "Recently, I went through a bit of a rough patch with my friends due to certain. . . events. Those events have passed, but I. . . I just don't feel comfortable around my friends anymore. It's like a sickness, or a wound that hasn't healed properly."

"M'kay, I understand," Mr. Mackey said. "Have you tried communicating with your friends about this?"

"Um, I think," Kyle said, though he wasn't really sure. He had talked with his friends, but not really about what had been bugging him. He'd just tried to avoid that.

"Well then, maybe all you need is to sort things out with your loved ones, m'kay?" Mr. Mackey suggested. "Just sit down and ask them to talk."

Kyle shifted his eyes, considering it. "Well, perhaps," He muttered. "Maybe. . . yeah, yeah! You're right, Mr. Mackey, I'll see how it turns out! Thanks!" His face bright, he hopped out of the chair and exited the counselor's office.

As he headed down the hallways towards his best friend's locker, Kyle smiled to himself. Why hadn't he done this before? He would just go right up to Stan, ask him for a quick conversation in the restroom or behind the school, and then. . . then. . .

_"What, what's wrong dude?" Stan asked Kyle as the boys, along with Heidi, watched the Terrance & Phillip Show, Kyle the only one not enjoying himself._

_"For the first time I feel kind of bad for the person being farted on," Kyle replied, briefly considering whether he should've expressed his thoughts at that moment. _

_Unfortunately for him, Heidi noticed. "Uf, Kyle's mom doesn't like the cartoon, guys. Better shut it off," She said mockingly. Instantly, everyone else in the room laughed, including Stan. Laughed at him._

Kyle slowed to a stop in the middle of the hallway, his smile vanishing and replaced with a stony look as he glared at nothing in particular. His hands tightened around his backpack straps as the memory of his brief expression of vulnerability being reduced to a joke played over and over again.

_"Kyle, what the fuck are you doing?" Stan asked Kyle on the phone as he stood inside the Terrance & Phillip Show set. _

_Kyle grimaced as he heard his friend's voice on the line, the friend who had offered him no support when he needed it. "Oh, I'm sorry I'm taking a stand and doing something," He retorted defensively. "I realize this doesn't gel with your nihilism!"_

_Deep down, in spite of his rage, he'd actually wanted some reassurance. He wanted Stan to apologize, to tell him he and the others wouldn't bully him anymore. That he'd made his point and they were still friends._

_Instead. . ._

_"Okay dude, I didn't want to have to say this, but you're really starting to sound like your mom."_

That was his reply. That was he'd decided to say, in the nastiest, most uncaring tone possible. That was what he had thought up and then decided was the right thing to say at that very moment. And unlike Heidi and Cartman, he wasn't even trying to be funny. At least with them, it was a joke that probably shouldn't have been taking literally.

Stan wasn't trying to be funny. He _knew _how much a low blow that was, and how much of sore spot it was for Kyle, and he said it anyways. He said it solely to hurt him.

That was what being open about his feelings and expressing any vulnerability had gotten him. Hurt.

The sound of the school bell snapped him back to attention. As his schoolmates surged to get to the cafeteria for lunch, he stared forward, in the direction of Stan's locker.

He could go and talk to him and put his mind at ease. Or he could end up with his feelings callously disregarded. Again.

He could. . . but no.

Turning around, Kyle hung his head and began to head to class. As he did, however, he accidentally bumped into someone.

"Oh jeez, sorry!" He said quickly, springing upwards. "I wasn't watching where I was going!"

"H-Hey Kyle," Jimmy Valmer greeted, a happy expression on his face.

Kyle calmed down. "Oh, hey Jimmy," He said in a rather dismissive tone, casting his eyes to the side.

"So Kyle, I've been working on a few j-j-jokes," Jimmy explained to him. "I was thinking if I could test some of them out on you."

Kyle groaned. "You know, I kind of want to get to lunch. . ." He said, not making eye contact.

"This will only take a minute, Kyle," Jimmy reassured him.

Kyle sighed, then looked up to face Jimmy. "Go ahead," He said, making a brief signal with his arm.

"Alright then," Jimmy said. "Why does a squirrel swim on its back?"

"Why?" Kyle asked.

"To keep its nuts dry," Jimmy answered, flashing a wide smile.

Kyle stared back at him, his face blank. "You got any others?" He asked.

"Indeed I do, Kyle," Jimmy said. "Knock knock?"

Kyle groaned before replying, "Who's there?"

"Orange."

"Orange who?"

"Orange you glad I didn't say banoo'n?" Jimmy stuttered before repeating himself. "Orange you glad I didn't say banoo'n? Orange you glad I didn't say bbb-"

Kyle winced. "Okay, that was really funny, Jimmy, but I really have to get to the cafeteria," He said, slipping past Jimmy and rushing down the hallway. As he did, Jimmy called out, "Orange you glad I didn't say banana?"

As Kyle vanished down the hallway, Stan silently sneaked down the hallway towards Jimmy. "So, uh, did it work?" He asked, staring down in the direction Kyle had disappeared to.

Jimmy turned to him. "He just ran off," He replied. "Didn't even crack a smile. It doesn't make sense; everyone loves my jokes."

Stan groaned. "What is up with him?" He asked. "He barely hangs out with us anymore, and he doesn't even sit with anyone at break. He only eats at the emptiest tables on the edge of the cafeteria."

Jimmy shrugged. "Well hey, it could be worse," He said, in an attempt of reassurance. "At least he's not C-C-Cartman."

* * *

Lying in his bed, surrounded by crumpled tissue papers, Eric Cartman bawled wildly on the phone with his recently-ex-girlfriend, Heidi Turner.

_"Heidi!" _He cried for what seemed like the hundredth time that day. "Heidi pleeeeeeease!"

On the other end of the phone, Heidi let out an agitated whine. "Eric, for the last time, you have to stop calling me," She said, in as calm a tone as she could manage.

"Heidi, Heidi, Heidi, Heidi, Heidi!" Eric repeated over and over again, choking on his sobs. "You don't understand, I would _die _without you! You're everything to me; I can't go on without you!"

"Eric, you need to get your life back together," Heidi said to him. "You haven't gone to school since we broke up. You've just been lying in bed all this time! Your friends are worried about you."

"Oh fuck them, who gives a shit about them?" Eric retorted. "Please Heidi, you have to take me back! My heart. . . I can feel it failing! I don't think I can go on for much longer!"

"Eric, we've been through this," Heidi said. "You have to learn to let it go. And besides, you're cutting in the middle of my school time."

There was an awkward pause. Finally, Eric shouted, "Well _fuck _you, Heidi! When I die, don't expect me to take you back!"

The moment the words left his mouth, he heard the sound of the call ending.

". . . Heidi?" Cartman whispered, his voice soft. "Heidi?"

No answer.

". . . I'm sorry, Heidi."

* * *

When school ended that day, Kyle was walking home alone, his head down, which seemed to be his new routine. However, he flinched when he heard a voice calling out to him.

"Hey Kyle!" Stan called out to him, joining him by the sidewalk.

Kyle sighed. "Hey Stan," He whispered, his shoulders slumping.

"So, uh, you doing anything today?" Stan asked, sounding oddly cheerful.

"No, not much," Kyle replied glumly. "Why do you ask?"

"Well Kyle," Stan said to him. "The thing is, I actually have _Asses of Fire _on DVD right now. I mean, I was thinking we could watch it together, you know, for old times sake-"

Kyle snapped his head towards him, his eyes widened in shock. Immediately, Stan shut up.

"Dude, _seriously_?" Kyle asked, sounding somewhat offended.

Realizing he'd made a poor decision, Stan backtracked. "Yeah, right, that was a stupid thing to say!" He exclaimed. "Actually, maybe we could just play some video-games? Or basketball?"

Kyle bunched up his shoulders. "I gotta go, Stan," He said quickly, and rushed down the streets, not giving Stan enough time to reply. In moments, he was gone.

". . . Shit!" Stan grumbled. "_Asses of Fire_? What the Hell was I thinking?" He pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.

This definitely wasn't going well.

* * *

_Read and review._


	3. Student Body Vice President

_Nicole980: Hopefully someone can tell him that for real..._

* * *

Stan stumbled through the ashen ruins that was once the city of Toronto.

The smell of burnt bones and rotting flesh threatened to overtake him as he gagged on the putrid stench. His eyes streamed with tears as the smoke from the rubble beat down on his face and burned his eyes. Futilely, he covered his nose and eyes in an attempt to block out the radiation from the nuclear bomb.

Through his tear-streaked eyes, Stan could vaguely make out a small child, curled in a fetal position as he sat atop the ruins of the one of the devastated buildings. _"Kyle_!" He called out, coughing violently the moment the word left his mouth.

He could see his best friend raise his head up to look at him, and he saw tears of fear and remorse streaming down his cheeks. He stood up, and Stan could see Kyle wearing his "M.A.C." shirt as he rose to his feet.

"Kyle, please!" Stan called out to him. "You have to let me help you!"

Kyle heaved violently, tears still streaming from his eyes. _"You!" _He roared, pointing an accusatory finger at him. "You knew what was going on! You knew what they were doing to me! You were my Super Best Friend Stan; you should've helped me!"

"I am your Super Best Friend!" Stan attempted to reassure him, taking hesitant steps forward. "I swear, Kyle, if I knew what was going on in your head, I would've helped you!"

"It's too late, Stan!" Kyle shouted out at him. "The damage has been done! And it's _your _fault!"

"No, Kyle!" Stan cried out to him, crying harder now. "Please, you have to give me another chance!"

Suddenly, the ground beneath Kyle ripped open. Two large arms burst out of the ground and a pair of yellow gloves grabbed Kyle violently by the arm. With tremendous force, the arms jerked him to the ground as none other than Eric Cartman's grinning face appeared from the hole in the ground.

"No, stop!" Stan cried, racing forward. "Leave him alone!"

_"It's too late, Stan," _A voice said through Cartman's lips. However, Stan was stunned that it was not Cartman's voice that had spoken.

Suddenly, Cartman's head morphed and twisted, revealing none other than Heidi Turner's face, a wicked gleam in her eyes. Stan's eyes widened in horror.

_"Say goodbye to your friend, Stan," _Heidi sneered, and with that, she pulled Kyle under the ground.

"Kyle!" Stan cried out. "No!"

Kyle only stared at him helplessly as he was dragged underground. Just as he vanished, he let out one pitiful cry.

"Why couldn't you save me?!"

* * *

Stan let out a cry as he sprang up from his bed, sweat streaming down his forehead. He could feel his heart racing as he struggled to recover from his nightmare.

Slowly, Stan looked around to find that he was back in his room, in the middle of the night. As the realization that it had only been a dream washed over him, Stan let out a sigh and flopped back into his pillow. With heavy eyes, he stared up at the ceiling, unblinking.

He had to get his Super Best Friend back.

* * *

The very next day, at the start of school, Stan paid a visit to none other than PC Principal.

When Stan entered the principal's office, he could tell that PC Principal wasn't in the most relaxed state of mind. Beats of sweat dripped down his forehead, and he was pulling at his collar. Stan knew it had something to do with the incident involving the vice principal; he admittedly didn't know the full story, and wasn't interested in learning more, but it had apparently taken a toll on his credibility as principal.

When PC Principal saw Stan enter, he said, "Mr. Marsh. You wanted to see me about something?"

"Uh, yeah," Stan said, gripping his backpack straps tightly. "It's. . . important."

"Alright then," PC Principal said. "What's on your mind?"

Stan took a deep breath, hoping this would work. "Alright, PC Principal, I think the both of us can agree that the current atmosphere of our school has been. . . unpleasant, to say the least. The students have gone through a lot of strife recently, some very close to me."

"Agreed," PC Principal said.

"So, with that in mind," Stan said, sweat beginning to drip down his forehead. "And please bear with me on this. . ."

PC Principal said nothing, silently signaling for Stan to continue.

I have. . . a _proposal _to make. . ."

* * *

Shortly afterwards, there was an assembly held in the school gymnasium. Kyle sat at the very top of the bleachers; he couldn't stand the thought of other people staring at his back. However, with his view, it didn't go unnoticed that Stan wasn't sitting at the bleachers.

"Alright everyone, listen up," PC Principal said once everyone was at attendance. "As you know, there has been a very negative climate that has been impacting our school as of late. One student has brought this up to me personally and proposed a possible solution to help encourage peace among our students."

Kyle raised an eyebrow at this. Just which student was this?

"It is this student's firm belief that there needs to be a representative for both the boys and girls of South Park Elementary," PC Principal went on. "And with that in mind, allow me to introduce you to our new student body vice president, Stan Marsh."

It was only then that the puffball hat wearing boy stepped into view, taking his place next to the principal.

"Stan?!" Kyle blurted out in shock.

He clearly wasn't the only one caught off-guard, as a few rows below him, none other than Wendy Testaburger shouted, "What?!"

PC Principal didn't acknowledge their reactions. "The vice president will be subservient to the student body president but will assist her in managing our school's affairs, mainly regarding its students. It's the opinion of the school officials that this will lead to better cooperation between the two genders of the school."

The principal promptly handed the mic to Stan Marsh, who turned to face the crowd, but seemed to be mainly looking up at Kyle. "Thank you, PC Principal," He said, his face blank. "Alright everyone, I want you to know that as student body vice president, my goal is not to lord over you, but to help you. If anyone has any issues, they can count on me and the student body president to assist in working them out." As he spoke, he glanced at Wendy, who continued to stare at him with a baffled expression.

"Fixing our school's climate will no doubt take a lot of work," He went on. "That is why it is everyone's responsibility to contribute to bettering our school. But I want everyone to know that, without a shadow of a doubt, you can count on me."

As Stan finished his speech, Kyle swore he saw Stan make eye contact with him for a brief second. But before he could tell, Stan turned away from his view.

* * *

The moment the assembly was over, Wendy spoke to PC Principal at his office.

"Now I know this was an unexpected turn of events," PC Principal said to the agitated girl. "But it is the belief of the school that this will serve to benefit South Park Elementary in the long run."

"That's not the point!" Wendy complained to him. "None of this was run by me first. There wasn't even an election!"

"Correct, but Stan Marsh is clearly a respected figure among the male population at the school," PC Principal replied. "It hasn't escaped me that relations between the boys and girls at this school have been contentious lately. Having someone that the boys look up to working alongside the student body president will probably encourage better gender relations within the school."

"Do you really think that's why Stan volunteered?" Wendy asked. "If you haven't noticed, Stan and I used to be boyfriend and girlfriend. Don't you think it's fishy that he suddenly wants to be in a position that will put the two of us in close proximity?"

"Well Stan seems genuine in his motives, and it would be wrong to accuse him of something when he has shown no suspicious behavior," PC Principal said. "Now, there may be personal feelings between the two of you, but that's not the school's business. All that matters is that you keep those feelings separate from your duties."

Wendy opened her mouth to retort, but nothing came out. Eventually, she let out an agitated groan and abruptly exited the principal's office.

The moment she did, she bumped into Stan. "Hey, Wendy," Stan said, his voice neutral. "So, you ready to handle our school affairs?"

Wendy narrowed her eyes. "Listen, Stan," She said, pointing a finger at him. "I don't know what you're hoping to gain from this, but just stay focused on your job now. As much as I dislike it, you're student body vice president, which means you have a lot of duties to attend to. We may have been a couple, but that has nothing to do with the present, so just keep those feelings separate from your duty, okay?"

"No problem," Stan said, his blank expression not changing. "Alright then, shall we get started, then?"

Wendy rolled her eyes in response. "Follow me," She said.

* * *

_Read and review._


	4. Volleyball

_Dragonslayer: Let's see how that plays out._

_South Down: Indeed._

_Nicole980: Yeah, I didn't get that, either._

* * *

Almost immediately after Stan's snap promotion to student body vice president the school received some major changes. Campaigns and student events were encouraged to be more gender neutral, with groups comprised primarily of boys being opened up to include some girls and vice versa. Male and female students with personal issues with each other were brought before the co-presidents to reconcile their problems.

One of the biggest, and most contentious, decisions was having a gender neutral volleyball session in P.E. class. No one was sure which of the student body presidents had suggested the idea, but regardless, few were particularly happy with it.

"This is a load of bullshit," Craig complained as he put on his gym outfit in the boys locker room.

"I don't know what Stan was thinking, making himself student body vice president," Clyde piped up, slipping on his gym shirt. "If he's trying to get Wendy back, muscling in on her position is a pretty poor strategy."

Kyle, who had already finished putting on his outfit, tightened up his muscles as he sat crouched in a corner. "Will you guys knock it off?" He asked, hugging his knees close to his body.

"What's your problem?" Clyde asked him.

"It's nothing!" Kyle snapped. "Let's just get this stupid thing over with!" Quickly, he sprang to his feet and hurried out of the locker room.

Almost immediately, he wished he hadn't.

Far off in the left corner of the gym, warming up for the session, was Heidi Turner.

Ever since her breakup with Cartman, Heidi's physical appearance had improved vastly. She'd lost most of the weight she had gained and had reverted back to her vegan diet after learning what Cartman had been feeding her. She still had a somewhat pudgy appearance, but everyone knew it was only a matter of time before she was back to her former self.

But to Kyle, all he could see was that fat, pimply, hate-filled perpetual sneer that had been etched into his mind through her constant insults and mockeries.

Kyle had been there when Heidi broke up with Cartman. He'd seen her reject the victimhood mindset and take responsibility for her actions and resolve to change.

And yet. . . it just couldn't erase what she'd done. Every time he so much as laid his eyes on her, a host of bad memories flooded his brain and caused his agonizing migraines to come back full-swing. Simply the sight of her caused him physical pain.

"What the Hell are you doing?" A rough voice asked, snapping him out of his thoughts. It was one of the girls, Theresa to be exact.

"Um, nothing," Kyle denied, averting his gaze from his former crush out of embarrassment. He could only imagine what the girls were thinking, seeing him stare at the girl he once had _positive _feelings for.

He was soon hit with a few more glances in his direction. "What is _he _doing here?" One girl asked in a disapproving tone, causing Kyle's cheeks to flush and his shoulders to bunch up. He was reminded that not all of the kids had quite forgotten what he'd done not too long ago.

At that point, some of the other boys had arrived in the gym, slightly erasing the feeling of isolation he felt. "You feeling alright, Kyle?" A voice said from behind him, which Kyle recognized as Stan's.

Turning around to face the student body vice president, Kyle winced. "Stan, I _really _don't want to do this," He said, uncomfortable.

"Hey, it's no problem," Stan replied. "At least you'll be playing with your friends. Besides, volleyball can strengthen your arm muscles."

"I'm pretty sure my arm muscles are strengthened enough from years of punching Cartman," Kyle replied snidely. "Fine, if you really want me to."

As the net was set up, Kyle took his place on the side with the least amount of girls on it, standing in the left corner of the gym. The other team took their own positions while Stan watched from the bleachers. As the coach blew the whistle, Kyle let out a small whimper.

Lola was the first to serve. She had rather short arms, but it appeared Stan hadn't been lying about volleyball strengthening your arm muscles, as she regardless sent the ball flying over the net and towards the end of the room. Craig managed to intercept it and bounce it off to his teammates, though he didn't put even half as much effort. Clyde caught it and served it over the net, and Nichole parried it back.

Kenny served the ball backwards, in Kyle's direction. His eyes followed the ball as it flew towards him, and he prepared to bounce it off to Clyde. However, at the last second, with his eyes briefly turning to Clyde, he caught sight of Heidi, watching him as he prepared to serve.

For a brief moment, his vision turned red.

_"Shut up, Kyle!"_

He hit the ball with an overhead, with far more force than he intended. It zipped past Clyde's face and struck dead-center into the net with such force that it actually struggled to absorb the ball's impact before sent it flying back.

As the ball hit the ground, Kyle blinked several times as he was brought back to reality. It was only then that he realized that the net had been the only thing keeping that ball from colliding with Heidi's face.

The other kids didn't seem to notice that fact, as the coach instead blew her whistle and the kids on Kyle's team let out groans of exasperation, disappointed at having lost their first match so quickly.

"You have a pretty strong serve, Broflovski," The coach commented to him. "But this time, don't aim for the net."

". . . Sorry," Kyle said after a brief silence.

Second match started. This time, the ball was served to him first. He couldn't help but feel that the other team was intentionally aiming for him, hoping for a repeat of what had just happened last time. This time, however, he managed to serve the ball properly, sending it over the net. Bebe served it back, and Theresa parried it.

As the game dragged on, Kyle noticed that the boys weren't really putting a lot of effort into the game, at least compared to the girls. He at least felt the urge to put some effort into winning, hitting the ball with harder passes and aiming in a way so that the other team couldn't intercept it so easily. He also made sure to keep his eyes off of Heidi to avoid any distractions.

After a few matches, his team was slightly in the lead. That managed to lift Kyle's spirits somewhat. He was actually doing pretty good at the game.

As the ball was served to him once more, Kyle narrowed his eyes and prepared to pass it. As he did, his eyes landed on Theresa.

Suddenly, his smile vanished as another memory popped into mind.

_"No!" Kyle denied when the girls had asked if he liked Heidi._

_"Oh my God, he _so _likes Heidi," Theresa said in a condescending tone, as if completely ignoring what he'd just said. _

_"No I don't!" Kyle cried defensively. _

"No I don't!"

What happened next was a blur. For a brief moment, Kyle felt his fist hit the ball, sending it flying forward. The next moment, he heard a cry of pain, followed by something heavy hitting the gym floor hard, accompanied by gasps of horror.

Just as before, Kyle snapped out of his thoughts and turned to the direction of the noise. When he did, his eyes widened in utter horror.

Theresa was lying on the ground, clutching her nose, the ball rolling to a stop at the side of her head. She was letting out little whines of pain, and a few kids on both sides were rushing over and crowding around her to check up on her.

"Oh shit!" Kyle shouted out in horror, flying over the dark-haired girl. "I-I'm so sorry!"

Theresa didn't respond, only continuing to groan in pain. Her eyes were glistening with tears.

_Shit! Shit! Shit! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Oh shit, oh fuck, oh shit!_

A flurry of emotions were flooding his brain. As the coach rushed to inspect on Theresa, she blew a whistle, essentially calling off the match. Kyle backed away, reaching into his hat to tear at his hair.

"What the Hell is wrong with you?" Bebe shouted at him, ducking under the net to approach him.

"It was an accident, I swear!" Kyle said in an almost pleading tone.

"When the teacher said not to aim for the net, she didn't mean you aim for Theresa's face!" Bebe shouted.

"Bebe, leave the disciplining to the teachers," Craig called out.

"Shut up!" Bebe snapped at him before turning back to Kyle. "What were you thinking?"

"I wasn't. . . gah, just mind your own damn business!" Kyle suddenly shouted before surging forward, hitting her with his shoulder as he passed her. He could see some of the kids, including Stan and Heidi, staring at him with shocked expressions, but he ignored them. Everyone else, including the coach, was too busy tending to Theresa to pay any attention to Kyle as he stormed out of the gym.

All but one.

* * *

He was so dead.

As Kyle sat behind the school, all he could think about was how he'd essentially signed his own death warrant. The moment those girls were done tending to Theresa, they were going to chase him down, corner him, and beat the everloving shit out of him.

Kyle buried his face in his hands, trying to choke back his sobs. What had he done?

_Stop playing the victim, _A voice in his head snapped at him.

"I'm not playing the victim!" He exclaimed aloud. "I'm just being cautious. They never listened to me before. Why would they listen when I say I'm sorry?"

Removing his hands from his face, he rested his head up against the school wall and stared off into space, wondering what he was going to do now. Before he could think of something, he heard the door creak open. Through his peripheral vision, he could see that whoever it was was wearing a gym outfit, so he knew it was one of the volleyball players coming to get him.

_Well I guess this is it, _he thought, not even looking up to see who it was in particular. If he was gonna get beaten up, he wasn't even gonna try running. He'd take whatever retribution the girls were planning to deal him.

By now, whoever had arrived was standing directly in front of him. "You seem upset," She said, and Kyle recognized the voice.

It was one of his former crushes. Not Heidi, though; it was a girl he'd had feelings for long before Heidi.

It was Nichole Daniels.

This revelation finally caused Kyle to look upwards and face her. He was surprised to see that she didn't look angry; not happy, definitely, but not 'I'm gonna kill you', either.

The fact that no one else appeared to have followed her signaled to Kyle that he wasn't in any danger. This caused his body to relax a bit, but he nonetheless narrowed his eyes. He didn't want company, not right now.

"What do you want?" He asked, averting his eyes.

"You looked very upset this whole game," Nichole said, her tone unreadable. "Your face was red and your eyes were dark the entire session."

"No, really?" Kyle said in a sarcastic tone, still not looking at her.

"Chin up, Kyle," Nichole said to him. "Now, what's bothering you?"

"What's bothering me?" Kyle asked. "Well it's not like knowing will help. Heck, going by experience, all that'll happen will everyone will bitch about it, while not only not trying to solve the issue, but actively making it worse!"

As the words flew out of his mouth, he noticed how taken aback Nichole looked. "Sorry," He blurted out immediately. "I'm really sorry. I'm just not in the mood to talk." He let out a loud groan.

"Why not?" Nichole asked.

"Because it never helps," Kyle replied, rubbing his forehead.

"Well staying silent won't help, either," Nichole replied. "At the very least, giving an explanation will increase the chances of you getting off with only a slap on the wrist."

Kyle sighed. "Okay," He said. "Recently, I've been getting these headaches, and they only seem to get worse when Heidi's around. And now that I'm forced to be in the same room as her, I just. . . I just lost control for a moment."

"Does she give you bad memories?" Nichole asked.

"A lot," Kyle confessed. "She did so many bad things."

"And what did you mean when you said 'No I don't'?" Nichole continued.

Shit, he'd said that out loud? "I don't like Heidi," Kyle said bluntly.

"No one said you did," Nichole pointed out.

"Yes, they did," Kyle replied. "Not now, but a while ago. In fact, you were the first one to bring it up. And then Theresa said I did, even when I flat-out said I didn't!"

"Is that why you punched the ball in her face?" Nichole asked.

"I didn't mean to," Kyle denied, tucking his legs close to his body.

"Well if you didn't, then you should come back inside and apologize," Nichole said to him, extending a hand forward. "Theresa isn't too hurt; she's not bleeding or anything. She's just a little shaken up."

Kyle groaned. "I'm so dead," He said.

"No you're not," Nichole reassured him. "Just go in there and apologize, and we can forget all about this. And if you need to talk further, you can just come to me, alright?"

Kyle remained silent for a few moments, staring at Nichole's extended hand. Eventually, he relented and said, "Alright." Then, he took her hand and got to his feet before following her back inside the gym.

As he did, he couldn't shake the thought out of his head.

Was someone showing kindness to him?

* * *

_Read and review._


	5. Unforgiven

_South Down: Let's see._

_Nicole980: Funny how the character to show him kindness shares your namesake._

* * *

Fortunately for Kyle, Nichole hadn't been lying. It appeared Kyle hadn't been the first person to accidentally hit someone with a volleyball, so the P.E. teachers were willing to be lenient with him when he apologized. Neither him or Nichole explained why he'd had such an outburst, though.

When the period ended and lunch started, Kyle took Nichole to the side for a moment. "Look, can you please not tell your girl friends about what I told you?" He asked her. "About Heidi, and the headaches?"

Nichole looked him in the eyes, seeming to consider it. When she saw his helpless expression, her face softened. "Alright," She reassured him, then left to join her friends at the cafeteria.

Kyle took his seat at one of the empty tables, far from his friends. Unluckily for him, his spot gave him full view of his female classmates, including Heidi.

As he watched her speak freely with her friends, laughing along with them, Kyle couldn't help but feel a tinge of envy. How was it that she had been able to so easily reconcile with the people who'd hated her not too long ago, while he could barely stand with his own friends? Especially when she'd been the one who'd driven the wedge between him and his friends in the first place.

When Heidi appeared to glance in his direction, Kyle instinctively jerked his head away, his face turning red. He took a few moments to compose himself before eating his lunch quietly.

"So Nichole, what happened when you followed Kyle out of the gym?" Bebe asked Nichole at the girl's lunch spot.

"Eh, nothing, really," Nichole muttered.

"He looked pretty pissed off," Millie noted. "How you managed to reason with him and get him to apologize is anyone's guess."

"For real, though, did you see the way he hit that volleyball the first time?" Annie said. "He looked like he was trying to take Heidi's head off."

Heidi giggled softly. "Oh, I bet that was just an accident, like with Theresa," She replied.

"Was it, though?" Isla asked. "I mean, I don't think you two left on the best terms."

"We've put it behind us," Heidi reassured her. "I mean, we haven't really talked since me and Eric broke up, but. . . I'm sure we've put it past us."

"He must be pretty forgiving, then," Theresa said, rubbing her cheek where she'd been hit by the volleyball. "I mean, a part of me still wants to rip your head off myself after all those trailer park quips."

The girls immediately began laughing. Heidi joined then, but her laughter was rather mirthless.

"If there's one good thing about having Kyle at volleyball, it's that his ass shows rather nicely in that gym outfit," Bebe mentioned lewdly.

No longer smiling, Heidi briefly gazed off to where Kyle was sitting, eating his lunch alone. She wondered if he was listening to what they were saying.

"You know, he doesn't look very happy," She noted.

"Well that's not really our problem," Millie pointed out in an uncomfortable tone. "I'm pretty sure his guy friends will deal with that."

"I dunno," Heidi muttered. "You guys gave me a chance after all I did. Doesn't he deserve one?"

"Well, that's different," Red said. "You're one of us. The only exceptions are boyfriends. Well, ex-boyfriends, as of now."

Nichole shifted her eyes at Red's comment as she recalled her talk with Kyle not too long ago.

_If you need to talk further, you can just come to me, alright? _She'd told him. She wondered if he was actually going to consider it.

* * *

Shortly after lunch ended, Heidi walked up to Kyle while he was sorting through his locker.

"Hey," She said quietly, staring at the ground.

Kyle turned his gaze towards her, and Heidi heard him mutter a curse word the moment he laid his eyes on her. "What do you want?" He asked bitterly.

"I just. . . I wanted to see if you're doing okay?" Heidi said awkwardly.

"Oh, I'm doing fine," Kyle replied, sarcasm clear in his tone. "Couldn't be better. Don't know why you'd ask. What could possibly be going wrong right now?" Shutting his locker door, he turned to leave.

"Hey, wait up," Heidi called, following close behind, causing Kyle to groan loudly. "Are you and Stan talking?"

"That's really none of your business," Kyle said coldly. "Now, if you'd excuse me-"

"Kyle, I know things were difficult between us," Heidi said to him. "We both said some things we regret. At least, I did. But, well, I was thinking-"

"I'm _not _taking you back," Kyle hissed, turning around to point a finger at her, before continuing on his way.

"I wasn't talking talking about that," Heidi said. "I was just hoping we could put this all behind us."

That seemed to strike a chord with Kyle. "Oh, that's easy for you to say, isn't it?" He replied. "What with you kissing and laughing with your girl friends, who a few days ago were rooting for you to get your 'bitch-ass kicked'? They didn't even care about you leaving Cartman and turning over a new leaf; I did. And look who's paying for it."

"But you were right," Heidi pointed out. "We _could _stop being mean to each other, and we did, just like you said we could."

"Yeah, it only took one million and, what, three thousand dead Canadians to cross that threshold?" Kyle grumbled. "It's hard to keep track; the number keeps going up every day."

"Kyle," Heidi said sadly.

"Look, I'm happy you've patched things up with your girl friends," Kyle said, though his tone said otherwise. "But I've had a long, disappointing day, and I'd prefer it if you stay out of it." Not letting Heidi get in another word, Kyle turned and briskly strode off, keeping silent his actual thoughts.

_I'd prefer it if you didn't exist._

* * *

"Alright Stan, so Tammy Nelson proposed an idea to me that she wants us to relay to the faculty," Wendy informed Stan in the computer room. "She was thinking of organizing a school fundraiser in support of the people in Toronto. She hopes if more people get in on this, it could become big enough to improve relations between us and Canada."

Wendy froze when she noticed that Stan didn't appear to be listening, instead staring off into space. "Stan, are you paying attention?" She said, snapping her fingers in front of his face to get his attention. "This is very important."

"Sorry," Stan said, sighing. "I was just thinking."

"Stan, you're student body vice president," Wendy reminded. "You have to pay attention to these things."

"I am, I'm just. . . a little disappointed," Stan confessed. "I was hoping Kyle would socialize better during volleyball, but it just seemed to make him angrier."

"That has nothing to do with your position," Wendy said. "If you're having issues with Kyle, then go talk to him. But you need to focus."

Stan groaned. "Okay," He said. "What were you talking about?"

Wendy inhaled. "Alright, I'll start from the beginning," She said. "Tammy Nelson proposed an idea to me. . ."

As Wendy repeated herself, Stan couldn't help but wonder how Kyle was doing. When he'd become student body vice president, he'd hoped it would encourage Kyle to go talk to him about whatever was eating away at him. But it was as if nothing had changed.

And if Kyle still didn't trust him, how could Stan help him?

* * *

_Read and review._


	6. Broken Trust

_Nicole980: Eh, I wouldn't really say it's Wendy's fault for what the skankhunt42 incident, a lot of people share the blame for that one. _

_South Down: To an extent. Part of me feels bad for her, but on the other hand, a lot of my goodwill for her was flushed down the drain after what she did as female!Cartman._

_autumnmist93: We can hope._

* * *

The next morning, Kyle was called to the counselor's office and groaned when he saw who else was in the room with Mr. Mackey.

"Take a seat, Kyle," Mr. Mackey said as soon as Kyle entered the room. "A student has called it to my attention that there are some issues that need to be sorted out, m'kay?"

Kyle hung his head and slowly took a seat next to Heidi Turner. _What did I just tell her? _He thought bitterly.

"So apparently there was some mean exchanges between the two of you when Heidi briefly became Cart. . . when she had a behavioral change," Mr. Mackey said.

"Yeah, that's well-documented," Kyle replied, willing himself not to look at Heidi. He could already feel his skin crawling just by sitting next to her.

"Heidi had a falling out with many people during that time, but she's reconciled with the majority of them," Mr. Mackey explained. "However, she says there may still be some ill will between you and her."

Kyle grumbled. It was true, Heidi had wronged a lot of people during the time she had adopted Cartman's appearance and demeanor. But of all of them, Kyle had undoubtedly gotten the worst of it, and ironically, it was probably because he'd been the only one to have had any faith in her.

"I just. . . I just don't want to talk to her," He said, closing his eyes.

"Maybe all you need is a simple apology," Mr. Mackey suggested. "Now Heidi, is there anything you want to say to Kyle?"

Heidi turned around in her seat so she was facing Kyle. "I'm sorry," She said unhesitatingly.

"You're sorry for what?" Mr. Mackey pressed on.

"I'm sorry I treated you like shit," Heidi said.

"Now Kyle, is there anything you'd like to say?" Mr. Mackey asked.

Kyle shifted his eyes a bit before answering. "Is there anything _else _you want to tell me?" He asked, still not facing Heidi.

Heidi paused a bit. Finally, she whispered, "No."

In response, Kyle sighed and hung his head.

"So Kyle, do you feel better?" Mr. Mackey asked.

"Yes," Kyle lied. "Can I go now?"

"As long as it's clear everything is well and good between you and Heidi, m'kay?" Mr. Mackey said.

Kyle willed himself to look into Heidi's face in order to make his reply. The moment he did, though, he wished he hadn't.

_"Shut up Kyle, you sound like your mom!"_

_"So Kyle's stupid brother goes missing and _I _get fucked!"_

Kyle could feel a blood vessel in his eye threaten to burst as he stared into Heidi's pleading face. "I. . . forgive. . . _you_," He said, struggling with every word. The moment he finished, he turned away from Heidi, seething silently.

"M'kay, so everything is alright," Mr. Mackey said. "You can go now, m'kay?"

"Thank you," Kyle said quickly. Quickly, he sprang out of his seat and exited the room as fast as he could, relieved to finally be out of there.

"Hey, wait!"

_Oh shit._

Kyle didn't turn around as Heidi walked up to him. "Kyle, you can't keep running away from people," She said to him, coming to a stop a few feet away. "You need to talk to people and let them help you."

"Help me?!" Kyle exclaimed, whirling around on Heidi so fast that she jumped. "How the Hell are you going to help me? You can barely help yourself!"

He wanted to go on, but suddenly, the bell rang for P.E. class. Kyle groaned before quickly dodging past Heidi and heading for the gymnasium.

"Kyle," Heidi called after him, but he ignored her.

* * *

During volleyball, Kyle couldn't stop thinking about what Heidi had told him.

_Talk to people and let them help me?_ He thought as he served the ball over the net. _She's one to talk. All she did was get in the way when I tried to do those things. Who am I even supposed to talk to? Those rabble of kids who did nothing but support Cartman and Heidi's relationship? Heck, Wendy's probably the smartest person around here and even she did nothing. Everyone else either can't give me good advice or just aren't close enough to me to help. _

"Kyle, the ball!" Craig shouted, snapping him back into reality. Thinking quickly, Kyle struck the ball with an underpass, sending it soaring over the net. Lola just barely intercepted it.

_I know Heidi wants to help, but I don't trust her, _Kyle thought to himself. _After all those things she said about my family, my mother, my brother. She may have been influenced by Cartman, but it's not like he told her to say any of those things. They all came from her, which means that's what she actually thinks about us. There's no way in Hell I'm letting her in, especially knowing the lows she can sink to._

As he finished, Kyle struck the volleyball with an overpass, sending it soaring over the net. Red dove to catch it, but just barely missed it. As soon as it hit the floor, the coach blew the whistle.

"That's enough for today, time to clean up," She said.

As the teams began to head to their locker rooms, Kyle received a back slap from Clyde. "Nice serve, dude," He complimented.

"Uh, thanks," Kyle replied, smiling sheepishly.

As the boys began changing into their normal attire, Stan walked up to Kyle. "Hey, I heard you went to the counselor's office this morning," He noted.

Kyle grimaced. "Yeah, I did," He answered. "It was nothing important."

"Did it involve Heidi?" Stan asked.

"Yes," Kyle said bluntly, putting on his coat and beginning to head for the door.

"Look Kyle, you can't keep beating yourself up about her," Stan said, following him. "She's moved on."

"Well she can't seem to accept that I have, too," Kyle replied coldly.

"No, you haven't," Stan told him. "Look, I'm student body vice president now. I want to help."

"Well you sound like my mother," Kyle replied, coming to a stop.

Stan's jaw dropped. "Dude, are you still on about that?" He asked, furrowing his eyebrows. "I thought we were past this."

"Stan, I just want to know something," Kyle said, turning around to face him. "Why did you and everyone else go through so much effort trying to convince me that it wasn't worth trying to help people, then want to "help me" once it finally paid off?"

Stan stared at Kyle, his mouth hanging open. He looked like he was trying to find the words to respond, but nothing came out.

Kyle inhaled. "Look, maybe you're right," He said. "Maybe I do need help. But I need it from someone I can trust." With that, he turned and walked away.

It took a few moments for Kyle's words to truly sink in for Stan. _He doesn't trust me._

He wandered aimlessly in the hallway for a few minutes, letting that thought rattle in his brain. His best friend, the person who he'd always gone to for help and vice versa, didn't trust him.

The thought weighed so heavily on his mind that he initially didn't notice when he felt someone tapping him on the shoulder. Eventually, he snapped out of his thoughts and turned around to see Heidi.

"Stan, can we talk about Kyle?" She said. "We were at the counselor's office earlier today, but things didn't really go well."

For a few moments, Stan stared at Heidi. Then, he felt his eyes narrow.

"It's funny you should mention that," He said, staring at the girl who'd been the one to drive the wedge between him and his best friend. "I just got done talking to Kyle myself. Do you know what he said?"

"What?" Heidi asked.

"He said he "needed help from someone he can trust"," Stan replied, making air quotes with his fingers. "He no longer trusts me."

"I'm sorry about that," Heidi said, trying to place a hand on Stan's shoulder, only for him to move out of her grasp.

_Yeah, you should be, _He thought bitterly. "You know, he did care a lot about you. I didn't really understand why, nor why he was so obsessed with breaking up you and Cartman. But well, he succeeded, at the cost of everything else, it seems."

"Look, I am truly sorry if I've strained you and Kyle's relationship," Heidi said to him. "But all I want to do is help him."

"Look," Stan said. "The fact is, you don't know Kyle like I do. I know the two of you might have had feelings for each other, but you just aren't as close to him as I am. I'm his best friend, so if anyone can help him, it's me. As for you. . . I think it's better if you just stay away from him. And me, for that matter."

With that, he turned around and briskly walked away, leaving Heidi alone in the hallway.

* * *

When school ended, Kyle walked by himself as he headed home.

_Stan's right, _he thought. _Sooner or later, I'm gonna have to talk to someone. But who?_

Kyle scanned the area around him, spotting several children that he was friends with and had many good memories of. Kevin Stoley, Jason White, Clyde Donovan. . .

But for whatever the reason, he rejected them. He needed someone who would listen to him and could give him answers. They may be willing to talk, but he wasn't sure if they could provide what he needed.

Which even he wasn't really sure what that meant.

"Alright, talk to you latter, Jenny," Kyle heard Nichole say to Jenny Simons a distance away. As he watched the girl start to head on home, a memory sprang to mind.

_"If you need to talk further, you can just come to me, alright?"_

Wait. . . could he?

He knew he'd once had feelings for Nichole in the past, but they'd mostly vanished ever since she'd gotten together with Token. But Kyle couldn't deny she was truly a nice person. Even when she'd asked him about his feelings for Heidi, she hadn't done it out of spite, like the other girls.

But at the same time, he wasn't really close to her, either. They'd rarely ever spoken to each other after their attempt at a relationship had failed. And if Kyle could barely trust his closest friends, why would he with a girl he admittedly didn't know very well?

But then, she'd been the one who'd talked to him after he accidentally hit Theresa during volleyball the other day. Instead of jumping to conclusions, she'd taken the time to understand the situation and even helped clear things up to avoid getting Kyle in deep trouble. And there hadn't been any ulterior motive for it, either.

And she'd been willing to do this for someone she wasn't even close friends with.

Nichole was far in the distance now. In a few more seconds, she'd be gone from sight. Kyle bit his lower lip. He knew it was risky, speaking to a girl, especially given the current relationship between the genders. And _especially_ a girl who was friends with Heidi. But then again, what other options did he have?

He followed her.

* * *

_Read and review._


	7. Someone To Talk To

_Dragonslayer: What? Also, Wendy's mainly just confused as to why Stan would volunteer for a position that would place him in close proximity to her._

_South Down: Well here it is._

_Nicole980: Let's find out._

_Malstygian: I admittedly didn't watch those episodes (yet), but yeah, I feel that should be at least alluded to. Both Stan and Kyle are guilty of betraying each other's trust._

* * *

"Okay, dude, this has gone on for far too long. You need to get over this."

"I. . .I just can't."

"It's been more than a week. Our friends miss you. You have to move on."

"You have no idea how much this has affected me. I don't know if I'll ever recover."

"Please, you have to try. . . Cartman," Stan said as he, Kenny and Butters stood at the side of Cartman's bed, Butters holding Cartman's hand as he sobbed.

"I still can't believe she left me!" Cartman bawled, blowing his nose in a handkerchief. "After all we went through together, she just abandoned me like yesterday's garbage."

Stan sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Look, Cartman, we've all been where you are," He said, trying to remain calm. "And let me tell you, from experience, it hurts like Hell. But we've all had to accept it and not let it run our lives. I know it feels like it's the end, but you'll get better."

"No I won't!" Cartman complained. "You're an asshole, Stan! Fuck you!"

Stan sighed and exchanged glances with Kenny, who merely shrugged.

"I'll just leave you and Butters alone," He finally said, exiting the room with Kenny by his side, leaving Cartman to continue crying in his bed.

The moment the two of them were out of the house, Stan mumbled, "Well at least Kyle's faring better than Cartman, so there's that."

"(Yeah)," Kenny agreed.

Suddenly, Craig, Tweek and Clyde came rushing up to the two of them. "Hey guys, you're not gonna believe what we saw just now!" The latter exclaimed.

"What?" Stan asked.

"It's about Kyle!" Tweek shouted, twitching anxiously as usual.

At that, Stan's heart skipped a beat. _"What?" _He exclaimed, a flurry of panic rushing through him. "What happened?! Is he hurt?"

"No," Craig said calmly. "We were leaving school, and we saw Kyle. He was. . . walking with Nichole."

Stan raised an eyebrow. "Token's ex-girlfriend?" He asked for clarification.

"Yeah," Clyde replied. "They went to her house."

Stan's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "They _what_?!" He exclaimed.

* * *

Kyle still didn't feel wholly comfortable with what he was doing. First he'd caught up with Nichole and hesitantly asked if he could speak with her, which she'd agreed to. Then he'd followed her inside and now he was inside her room, just him and her.

Even now, he had his doubts. What if Nichole couldn't actually help? Or worse, what if this was a trick? He knew he was risking a lot by coming here, but at this point, he was desperate.

Whether Nichole noticed his anxiety, she didn't show it. Instead, she calmly climbed atop her bed and said, "You want to take a seat?"

Slowly, Kyle nodded and followed her onto her bed. Then, Nichole said, "Alright, so what's on your mind?"

Kyle took a moment to think before responding. "So, look, there's been a lot nagging at my mind, lately," He explained. "But I don't know if I can talk to my friends about it."

"Why not?" Nichole asked.

Kyle sighed. "Nichole, I'm sure you know what happened while the President was in the town," He said, hoping he was current in his statement.

Nichole shrugged in response. "I know. . . most of it," She said. "Heidi says she joined you and your friends while you were looking for your brother in the woods. When you came back with the President, it was then that Heidi broke up with Cartman and rejoined us."

"Yeah," Kyle replied. "And, um, do you know why she broke up with him?"

"She says you made her see the error of her ways," Nichole replied.

"Huh," Kyle said, glancing downwards.

"This has to do with Heidi, doesn't it?" Nichole guessed. "So, if it's true that you were the one who convinced her to break up with Cartman and go back to the way she was, why do you seem to hate her now?"

"Because I wasn't planning on it," Kyle confessed. "My friends said they were going to help me, but I didn't want them to go with me. Then Heidi told me it was because I was still salty about her rejecting me, and I told her that I would never be attracted to the person she'd become. I didn't think that would affect her so much; I just spoke the truth. After that, I didn't say a word to her. She kind of reached the conclusion she did on her own."

"Wait?" Nichole said, confused. "So you weren't trying to break her up with Cartman? But what about when you came to our volleyball practice to talk about her? What changed?"

Kyle closed his eyes and inhaled.

"Because caring about Heidi was the worst decision I ever made."

Nichole looked taken aback. "What do you mean?" She asked.

"Trying to help Heidi caused all of this to happen," Kyle said, opening his eyes, which were glazed with tears. "I tried to help her move on, but then she not only went back to Cartman, but _became _him. I tried to help her, but all that happened was everyone just turned on me, instead. I was so confused. Nobody really seemed to like the situation, but nobody wanted to actually do anything about it, either. Even my best friend, Stan, told me it was none of my business. I got so frustrated, and I did something unforgivable because of it."

As he spoke, vivid memories entered his mind. Memories of himself in the _Terrance & Phillip _television set, watching the nuclear bombing of Toronto broadcast live on the news. The sight of thousands of lives viciously snuffed out in seconds. That feeling of horror that pierced his gut like a sword.

_Over a million dead. Because of him._

"I got so many people killed, because I was such an idiot," He went on. "I tried so hard to do the right thing that I ended up causing more damage than I could have ever anticipated."

"But Kyle, thanks to you, Heidi's gone back to normal," Nichole reminded him. "She never would've changed if it hadn't been for you."

"Yeah, well she changed me, too," Kyle retorted bitterly. "But it wasn't for the better. And while Heidi may be able sit with you and Wendy and the others, I can barely face my friends now. Or my brother, for that matter."

Nichole's face fell. She looked down, looking deep in thought.

"This isn't the first time I've struggled with this," Kyle admitted. "There have been times in the past when I tried to do the right thing, but in the end, it didn't work out. But I was really trying now to make a difference, to get to that point again where I could change things for the better. But no one was by my side. Not Heidi, and not Stan. And in the end, all I did was ruin everything."

"No you didn't," Nichole reassured him.

"Yes, I did!" Kyle unexpectedly shouted. "I got a nuclear bomb dropped on my brother's home country. I got over a million people killed. Our President's on the loose, and if he's not caught, our countries could go to war! I was just trying to do the right thing, and look what it caused!" Tears started streaming from his eyes.

"Don't cry, Kyle," Nichole said to him, placing her hands on his shoulders.

"My brother must hate me!" Kyle said, gritting his teeth. "Heck, the whole school must hate me!" He tried to choke back his sobs, but failed. Now he was openly sobbing.

Nichole only wrapped her arms around him. "No, they don't," She said to him. "Look, Kyle, you made a mistake. A really big mistake. But you didn't tell the President to nuke Canada; that was something he did on his own. He's a full-grown adult and you're ten years old; he should've known better!"

"But if it wasn't for me, he wouldn't have nuked the country!" Kyle said through his tears. "I should never have pushed things as hard as I did!"

"No, you shouldn't have," Nichole told him. "But you trying to help is not a bad thing. You went about it in the wrong way, but that doesn't mean you should stop trying to make things better. And you're definitely not the only one to blame."

Tears continued to stream from Kyle's eyes, but he wasn't openly sobbing now. He laid his head against Nichole's chest, his eyes half-open and staring off into the wall.

"The school shouldn't have pushed you like they did," Nichole said. "We should've handled things better. We all have to take some responsibility."

"I know," Kyle whispered softly. "I don't want to end my friendship with Stan. He's always been by my side. I want to go back to that. But I need to change first. I know he wants to help, but I don't want to be a burden to him."

_Like Heidi was._

Nichole hummed to herself and released her hold on Kyle. "Look, I'll tell you what," She said. "Whenever you need to talk, just come over to my house. You can even join me at the park and stuff. I may be able to help with whatever is bugging you, and then you'll be able to rebuild your friendship with Stan."

At that, Kyle's face brightened. "Sure," He said, wiping the tears from his eyes. "That sounds great."

"Alright then," Nichole said, smiling.

Kyle sighed, and smiled. "It was nice talking with you," He said. "I'll be sure to see you soon. And Nichole?"

"What?" Nichole asked.

Unexpectedly, Kyle moved forward and enveloped her in a hug. "Thank you," He whispered, tears of joy streaming from his eyes.

Nichole looked shocked at first. Then, she simply smiled and hugged him back.

* * *

Sitting atop a tree branch, Stan watched through the window as Kyle and Nichole embraced each other through a pair of binoculars, his jaw hanging open.

"What?" He said, at a loss for words. "He? How? Why?" Removing the binoculars from his eyes, he turned to stare at the other boys on the branch, who simply shrugged in response.

Looking back at the window, Stan exclaimed, "I have so many questions!"

* * *

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	8. A Light in the Dark

_Dragonslayer: Kyle actually was mistaken for Lionardo DiCaprio in an early episode. Dunno if that was part of the joke._

_Pigkiller55: Well they're still broken up, so there's that._

_Nicole980: Let's find out._

_South Down: Check the above statement._

_Autumnmist93: I had similar problems with you, which is why I'm not a fan of the Kyle x Heidi pairing; even wit her redemption, she's done nothing to indicate she reconciled with Kyle._

* * *

After Kyle's talk with Nichole, things were different. The changes were minor on the surface, but everyone in school noticed it.

For the next several days, Kyle could often be found standing near Nichole, whether in the hallways or on the playground. During lunch break, Nichole would take a break from sitting with her girl friends and instead join Kyle in his spot in the cafeteria, his only form of company there. While she still spent most of her time with her friends, she would sometimes be found having conversations with Kyle; over what, no one was sure.

And when school ended, the two would continue to find time for each other. If both of them were caught up on schoolwork, or Nichole wasn't hanging out with her friends, Kyle would join Nichole in her house, or even out at the park. It was then that he would open up to her.

Kyle told Nichole about all that had happened leading up to his falling out with Heidi and his friends. He told her about his attempt to reach out to Heidi when she had no one, how he'd struggled to help her even when none of his friends had joined him. How he'd not only succeeded, but even had a brief relationship with Heidi, only for her to unexpectedly rejoin Cartman and adopt all of his worst traits.

He'd been a little wary of indulging to Nichole about his more personal feelings, but he trusted her enough to reveal what had followed. The hurt he felt when Heidi had turned her bullying onto him, and then watched as his closest friends joined in on the fun at his expense. How helpless he felt, feeling like he was fighting an uphill battle to do right, with no one to support him. And how it had all spilled over, until he inadvertently got Canada nuked.

Nichole, in turn, filled in some of the details that Kyle had been left in the dark about. She told him how the girls had considered his advice regarding Heidi, but ultimately decided to ignore it. The gender war wasn't quite over yet, and the girls weren't willing to trust the advice of a boy. And even after Heidi had gone back to Cartman, they still hadn't considered that they may have played a part in influencing her choice.

As this new information came to light, Kyle only felt even more guilty. He realized that _Terrance and Phillip _indeed had nothing to do with what had been going on at school. Nichole helped ease him through the pain, though.

In spite of the immense guilt he still felt, Kyle also felt a sense of relief. Not only that he was finally getting some answers to the questions constantly plaguing his mind, but also because he finally had someone to talk to, someone who would listen to him.

And it was all thanks to Nichole.

* * *

"Hey, so can I ask you something?" Nichole whispered to Kyle as the two lay in her bed.

"Sure," Kyle responded, staring up at the ceiling, a blank expression on his face.

"_Did _you like Heidi?" Nichole asked. "I'm sorry if that may sound insensitive, given what happened."

"No, it's no problem," Kyle reassured her, not taking his eyes off the ceiling. "To be honest, I don't really know. I thought she was a nice girl and all, but I didn't consider if I had feelings for her until you brought it up."

"So why did you care?" Nichole asked him.

Kyle finally took his eyes off the ceiling and turned his body so he was facing Nichole. "Well, it's because I've dealt with Cartman before," He explained. "I've had to put up with his bullshit more than most people, and I've seen how cruel he can get. I just didn't want someone else to have to deal with what I have."

"Oh," Nichole said. "So Cartman wasn't lying when he said the two of you had been together."

Kyle's eyes widened in sock. _"What?!" _He shouted, springing up from his bed. "No, I didn't mean. . . not like that-"

Nichole giggled. "Relax, I was only joking," She reassured him, causing Kyle to calm down immediately.

Once Kyle was quiet, Nichole's smile vanished and she whispered, "So, forgive me for asking, but now that Heidi's back to normal, do you like her again?"

Kyle's face went blank. "No," Was his blunt answer, not even sparing a pause.

Nichole's eyes widened momentarily. "Huh," She said, sounding somewhat surprised, but at the same time not much.

"Look, the thing is, I don't really know _why _I had feelings for her in the first place," Kyle told her. "I only got involved because I wanted to save someone from a terrible fate; it wouldn't have mattered if it was Heidi or anyone else. But all she's done is cause trouble for me."

"But she apologized," Nichole reminded him.

"That doesn't matter," Kyle snapped, harsher than he intended. "She's been nothing but a toxic influence and her very presence just fills me with anger. She brings out the worst in me and I just don't need that in my life right now. Besides, there are other relationships I'm trying to repair at the moment."

"You mean Stan?" Nichole guessed. When Kyle nodded, Nichole said, "Have you talked to Stan about any of this?"

Kyle shifted his eyes. "Not really," He admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "I want to, but I don't feel comfortable talking to him about it. I mean, I have no problem talking about it with you because you care about it, but Stan?" He shrugged his shoulders.

"But Stan's your best friend," Nichole reminded him. "Shouldn't you trust him most of all?"

"I trust him," Kyle replied. "Just not with this. Every time I brought up Heidi to him, he just kind of waved me off like it wasn't important. How do I know anything's changed?"

"If you two are really best friends, you'll figure it out," Nichole said. "You may have had your bumps in the road, but you'll get past them."

"Maybe," Kyle whispered, is eyes staring off into the distance. All of a sudden, he felt tired. Almost subconsciously, he rested his head against Nichole's shoulder. Gently, she set his head down on her pillow, and smiled softly.

* * *

"Alright, so I'm almost finished the online fundraiser in support of Canada," Wendy told Stan while on her computer. "Just need to give it a name and then upload it on social media."

"Oh, great," Stan replied. "So, what are you gonna call it?"

"I was kind of hoping you had an idea," Wendy mumbled.

"Oh," Stan said. "Uh, how about. . . Millennials Allied to Canada? We're millennials, right?"

"Stan," Wendy grumbled, annoyed.

"Yeah, I got nothing," Stan said, his shoulders slumping.

Wendy sighed. "You know, this is stupid, anyways," She said, resting her face against her hands. "I mean, how is a fundraiser going to come close to repairing the damage done?" Frustrated, she slammed her head against the desk.

Stan jumped a bit. "No Wendy, it's not stupid," He reassured her. "Look Wendy, you're really smart. If anyone can make this fundraiser work, it's you."

"But how are we gonna get people to join in?" Wendy asked. "We're just one school."

"We'll get people to join because there are a lot of people who care about Canada," Stan said to her. "Look, what happened to Canada is a tragedy, and everyone knows it. And the last thing anyone wants is for Canada and America to remain enemies. If there's a chance to heal the damage between these two countries, people will take it."

Wendy looked deep in thought for a moment. "Yeah, you have a point," She replied. "We could help raise money to repair the damage done to Toronto. And maybe we could find a way to deal with the radiation poisoning as well."

"Yeah," Stan said. "Not only that, but the President used to teach at our school. So having our fundraiser be headed by this school would make things more meaningful, in a way."

"That's a good point, Stan," Wendy said, smiling. "In fact, I'll add that to our online message. Thanks."

"No problem," Stan replied. Almost unconsciously, he placed a reassuring hand on Wendy's shoulder.

She accepted it.

* * *

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	9. Wrestling

_South Down: Between whom?_

_Dragonslayer: Eh..._

_Pigkiller55: Indeed._

_Big SP Fanatic: Those sound interesting, but I don't see what that has to do with this story. On that note, Nelly did have a boyfriend; it was Francis._

_Autumnmist93: Murphy's law._

* * *

At Nichole's suggestion, Kyle joined a few of the school's extracurricular activities to use as an outlet; one of them was wrestling class.

After the school's former wrestling coach, Mr. Connors, had been fired, a new coach had been let in who'd managed to make the class more fun for its students. Kyle was only one of the new members of the team; Stan had also joined upon finding out that Kyle was trying out.

"Alright, boys, here are the rules," The coach relayed to the team. "I need two members in the center of the gym, similar size and weight. Whoever manages to successfully pin the other wins, are we clear?"

"Yes, coach," The boys all said in unison.

"Alright, then," The coach said. "Now, who's up first?"

Kyle raised his hand. "Alright Broflovski, you're up against Donovan," The coach said. "Both of you, in the center."

Kyle and Clyde both stepped onto the gym mat and faced each other. The rest of the boys watched from all sides, waiting intently for the match to start. Stan had his hands clasped together in anticipation, wondering how Kyle would fare.

"Don't worry, Kyle, I'll take it easy on you," Clyde reassured, doing a couple stretches to prepare himself. Kyle didn't respond, simply staring forward, a determined look on his face.

_Come on, Kyle, you can do this, _Stan thought, clenching his fists.

The coach blew the whistle, signaling for the match to start. Almost immediately, Kyle surged forward, meeting Clyde in the center of the mat. The two boys slammed into each other, enough to send a small shock-wave through the gym. The two pressed their bodies against each other, trying to overpower the other. Occasionally, the two would break apart, then collide with each other once more. Around them, the boys chanted for whichever of the two they were rooting for.

After around a minute, it was clear Clyde was becoming worn out. He was getting slower, and was putting less weight in his shoves. Kyle only seemed more determined.

Eventually, after breaking apart one more time, Kyle went low and tackled Clyde by the abdomen. The two boys crashed down onto the mat, Kyle pinning Clyde beneath him. The brunette struggled underneath Kyle, but the redhead held him down.

"Yes!" Stan shouted out, amazed.

The coach blew the whistle, ending the match. "And that's a win for Broflovski," He declared as Kyle got off of Clyde and stepped off the mat, taking a seat next to Kyle.

"Dude, that was amazing," Stan congratulated.

"Thanks," Kyle replied, a warm smile on his face.

"Almost, Marsh, how about you?" The coach requested. "You and Tucker will face off next."

Stan stood up and entered the mat, along with Craig. The two dark-haired boys faced each other, the latter with a blank expression, before the coach blew the whistle and the two lunged at each other. They rolled over each other across the mat, struggling to pin the other.

Ultimately, Craig ended up on top, pinning Stan down beneath him. The coach blew the whistle, and Craig released Stan and casually walked off the mat as if nothing had happened.

Rolling off the mat, Stan went back to his spot. At that moment, Kyle said, "Hey, can I be excused for a moment?"

"Sure, why not?" The coach replied casually. "Alright, Tweak, you're up next. You can go up against Stoley."

As Kyle walked out of the gym, Tweek and Kevin got onto the mat and faced each other. Just as the coach blew the whistle, Kevin turned to the coach and said, "Hey, so where exactly am I supposed to grab-OH!" He was cut off when Tweek slammed into him with the force of a freight train, sending him flying off his feet and propelling both of them onto the ground.

"Yeah, kick his ass, Tweek!" Craig encouraged, seemingly more invested in this match than the one he had just been in.

Stan didn't stick around to see how the match turned out. Instead, he walked off after Kyle, not even bothering asking the coach for permission first. Opening up the gym door, he looked around the hallway before spotting Kyle.

The redhead stood silently in the hallway. His posture was straightened, his head held high, and his eyes closed. He inhaled deeply before letting out a deep breath, his mouth curling into a peaceful smile.

"Um, Kyle?" Stan asked, not knowing if Kyle was aware of his presence. "What are you doing?"

Kyle opened his eyes and turned to face Stan. "Oh, hey Stan," He replied, his voice a little awkward. "I dunno, I was just. . . reflecting, I guess."

"Reflecting?" Stan said. Kyle shrugged his shoulders in response.

After an odd silence, Kyle said, "You weren't bad in there."

"But I lost," Stan reminded him.

"Yeah, but you put in a lot of effort," Kyle replied.

"You were pretty good, too," Stan said. "I mean, to be fair, anyone could take down Clyde, he's a bit of a wuss, but still."

"Eh, I don't care much about winning," Kyle replied with another shrug. "Nichole told me taking more physical activities would help relieve stress, and it's actually working."

"Oh, that's good," Stan whispered.

Another awkward silence commenced. Stan took the time to stare into Kyle's eyes. It amazed him how much one could tell a person's mood simply by looking them in the eyes. Despite his smile, Stan could see the pain in Kyle's eyes, the pain he was keeping bottled up. Yet at the same time, there was a peacefulness that hadn't been there before.

Just by looking into Kyle's eyes, Stan could tell that he was still hurting, but healing, too.

He was happy, happy that his friend was finally recovering, if only slightly. Yet at the same time, he couldn't help but feel a little sad that he hadn't been the one to induce this change. Rather, it was Nichole.

He didn't understand how Nichole had managed to make such an impact on Kyle's life. He was Kyle's best friend from practically day one; he should've been the one who had pulled Kyle out of the pit he'd been thrown in.

What had Nichole done differently? Where had she succeeded where he had failed?

Before he could ponder further, Kyle said, "It was nice talking with you." Then, he walked back into the gymnasium. After a few moments, Stan followed him.

A part of him was still upset he hadn't been the one to instigate Kyle's healing. But nevertheless, it was overshadowed by the joy of simply having a nice conversation with his friend for the first time in what seemed like forever.

As the two sat down, the coach blew the whistle, ending the match. Tweek skipped off the mat gleefully, leaving Kevin lying on his back, looking like the breath had been knocked out of his lungs.

"Ow," He groaned out.

* * *

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	10. A Chance to Make a Difference

_Nicole980: Go reviewer!_

_South Down: It may not be as plot relevant as previous or future chapters, but it did have a point, showing how Kyle's dealing with his stress and trying to repair his relationship with Stan._

* * *

"Alright, so apparently there's been some hostility between you two," Stan said to Nelly and Francis as the two sat before him in the student body president's office after school. Wendy was at his side.

"Now, what seems to be the problem?" Stan asked.

Nelly had an annoyed look on her face, while Francis looked rather uncomfortable. The former spoke first, saying, "Well, some rumor has been going around that Francis and I are dating again, but we're not! I'm pretty sure Francis started this rumor, so I want him to cut it out before things get dangerous."

"It wasn't me, I swear," Francis defended. "It had to be Douglas. He's always been a gossiper."

"Well you're doing nothing to disprove it!" Nelly shouted at him. "If it's not you, then pull up your big boy pants and confront the liar who's spreading these rumors!"

"Alright, that's enough!" Stan interrupted, raising a hand. "Look, I doubt Francis would be spreading these rumors. After all, what does he have to benefit from it?"

"Making me look bad in front of the girls?" Nelly suggested.

"Well Nelly, the girls and I trust that you wouldn't do something like this behind our back," Wendy reassured her. "You've always been a honest person, and we'll stand by you on this."

"Good," Nelly huffed.

"If these rumors persist, just bring whoever is telling them to the counselor, and maybe they'll be able to find out the source of these rumors," Stan said. "Okay?"

Nelly folded her arms and rolled her eyes. "Okay," She said bitterly. Francis nodded.

"Alright then," Wendy said. "Dismissed."

As the pair left the office, Stan sighed. "So Wendy, how's the online fundraiser going?"

Wendy shrugged in response. "I'm not sure," She admitted. "There hasn't been much news of its reception online. I think the issue is it's not being presented well enough."

"That can't be right," Stan replied. "I would've thought more people would be in on this."

"Well yeah, but we're having difficulty selling it to people," Wendy said. "To be honest, I wasn't sure what to write to get people's attention."

"Oh," Stan said, lowering his head. "You think we could get help from some of our classmates?"

"Maybe, but who?" Wendy asked.

"I dunno," Stan said, deep in thought. "It would have to be someone who's good at getting people together. Someone who can rally others behind them. Someone who can. . ." Suddenly, Stan froze.

"What is it, Stan?" Wendy asked.

Springing from his desk, Stan hurried out of the office, spurring a baffled Wendy to follow him. Stan didn't stop until he was out of the school and could see Tweek and Craig walking down the sidewalk, holding hands.

"Hey guys!" He called out to them, getting their attention. "Where's Kyle?"

"He's babysitting with Nichole," Craig explained. "The two went to the park with Ike and Katie. You know, Jenny and Blondie's little sister?"

"Why'd you ask?" Tweek asked.

"You know that fundraiser we're starting?" Stan asked. "Well, I think we can use Kyle's help to gain traction. Follow me."

With that, the three, along with Wendy, headed off to the park.

* * *

At the park, Kyle and Nichole sat on a bench, watching contently as Ike and Katie played together in the playground. The two had a pair of ice cream cones in their hands.

"Hey Kyle, thanks for helping me watch over those two," Nichole said as she lay on the bench next to him, licking her ice cream. "It means a lot to Katie's sisters."

"Oh, it was no problem," Kyle replied. "Anything to just spend some time with my brother." He wasn't sure if there was still some lingering resentment from his little brothers towards him, but regardless, Ike looked happy.

"So, how are your activities at school going?" Nichole asked, leaning up against the bench.

"Oh, it's great!" Kyle replied. "I'm doing good at wrestling class, and the coach says I'm above average at track and field. Ever since I joined those classes my stress has gone down quite a bit. Not only that, but I'm finding it easier to fall asleep. Before, I'd just be lying away in bed all night, but now I can rest easily."

"That's awesome," Nichole complimented. "I've read that exercise and physical activities can help with stress and depression. You just continue what you're doing, okay?"

Kyle's smile faltered for a bit. "Hey Nichole, can I ask you something?" He said.

"Sure," Nichole replied.

"Why are you doing this?" Kyle asked, lowering his head. "Why are you helping me?"

Nichole was silent for a moment. She looked out at the park, then said, "I dunno. When Heidi broke up with Cartman, a lot of us weren't sure if she was genuine. But after a while, we realized that she actually wanted to change for the better. And since you were the one who made it possible for that, I figured you deserved a chance as well."

Kyle looked away. "Huh," He whispered softly to himself. Honestly, he didn't know if he'd expected an answer like that. A part of him had wondered if it was simply because Nichole wanted to date him, especially now that she wasn't with Token anymore. Wasn't that why he'd wanted to save Heidi?

No. That wasn't the _main _reason he'd wanted to save Heidi.

But on the other hand, there was an element of relief to Nichole's answer. Because it meant she didn't have any ulterior motive for what she was doing. She didn't expect anything in return.

Not that he didn't want to return the favor. She was helping him; it was only fair he repay her. He just wasn't quite sure how.

"Kyle!"

Before Kyle could think further, he sprang up in shock as he recognized Stan's voice. Whirling around, he saw Stan, Wendy, Tweek and Craig walking at a brisk pace towards them.

"Um, hey guys," Kyle greeted as they approached him, wondering why they were here.

"Kyle, can I ask you something?" Stan abruptly asked once they had reached the bench.

"Um, yeah," Kyle replied, unsure.

"Remember when you formed Millennials Against Canada?" Stan asked.

Immediately, Kyle shrunk down, embarrassed at being reminded of his major blunder not too long ago. "How could I forget?" He said through gritted teeth. Next to him, Nichole glanced at Stan, a suspicious look on her face.

"Well, how did you form the group?" Stan went on, seemingly oblivious to Kyle's uncomfortable expression.

Kyle shrugged. "I just kind of went on the internet and found people with similar mindsets to follow me," He answered. "I just used a little persuasion like normal."

"Okay," Stan replied. "So, we were thinking; could you do that again?"

Kyle felt like he'd been punched in the face. _"What?!" _He shouted. "Are you crazy? Why would I-"

"No, not like that," Craig interrupted. "He means could you get people to follow our fundraiser for Canada? The same way you got people to join you _against _Canada?"

Kyle calmed down a bit. "Oh," He said. "Well, I don't know. . ."

"Come on, Kyle," Stan said. "Remember those speeches you used to give? All you need to do is type them out on the internet, telling people why they should support our fundraiser and all the good things it would accomplish."

"You want me to give a speech?" Kyle asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, not say it, just type it," Craig responded.

Kyle's mouth was a thin line. While it sounded like a good idea, he still had his doubts. People rarely listened to what he had to say, and the last time he got people to rally with him, he screwed up big time. What if things went wrong again?

But then, he felt Nichole place a hand on his shoulder. "Kyle, I'm sure it would mean a lot to your brother," She whispered to him.

Kyle's eyes widened. Slowly, he turned to gaze at his brother, who was still playing with Katie in the sandlot, oblivious to the conversation at hand. Tears began to well up in his eyes.

Nichole was right. It would mean a lot to Ike. And Kyle would do anything to make it up to him.

"Okay," Kyle said, wiping away the tears before the other kids could see them. "I'll get to it the moment I get home."

"Yeah!" The other kids said in unison. Stan and Craig gave Kyle a friendly slap on the back.

Kyle grinned nervously. Secretly, he was still unsure. But he knew it was worth a shot.

* * *

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	11. Getting Something Off My Chest

_A/N: Was gonna clarify this in the previous chapter, but forgot: Katie is the little girl from "The Ring"._

_South Down: I wonder how._

_Nicole980: We can hope._

_Autumnmist93: A little._

* * *

That night, Kyle was directed to the online fundraising campaign website. When he found it, he opened up his Facebook account and messaged all of his schoolmates to tell them to spread the word. Then, he went to work on promoting the campaign.

At first, Kyle struggled to find the words to type onto the message. In the past, giving speeches had come naturally, but when more and more people started refusing to take his words seriously, including his friends, it had become harder for him to voice his thoughts.

But when he thought of all the people suffering, indirectly because of him, he slowly managed to find his voice. For what seemed like an eternity, he typed down his thoughts on the matter. He wrote about the damage that had been done to Canada, the millions that were currently in turmoil. How even the ones who had survived were now without a home.

But in spite of all of the bad, he wrote of how to fix things. Not just with the fundraiser, but also writing about how the Canadians left homeless should be given places to stay. How steps should be taken to reduce the nuclear radiation from when the bomb dropped. And how everyone could play a part in helping mend the damage done.

Kyle became so invested in his online speech that he didn't even notice how numb his fingers were. Or how his eyes were starting to burn from being glued to the screen, scanning over every single word, making sure there were no errors. He was too focused on getting his message out and helping.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Kyle had finished the message. Taking a moment to take a deep breath, Kyle sent the message out online for everyone to see. Then, he shut off the computer and pulled himself into bed, praying the the reception would be positive and people would actually listen.

Despite how late it was, Kyle couldn't bring himself to fall asleep. Instead, he pulled out his iPhone and texted Nichole, hoping she was awake too.

**Kyle: Hey Nichole. U awake?**

**Nichole: Yeah, it's pretty hard to fall asleep. What's up?**

Kyle secretly let out a sigh of relief.

**Kyle: Nothing much. I just sent out the message promoting the fundraiser. **

**Nichole: Oh, great. **

**Kyle: Yeah, it was a lot of work. Hope a lot of people read it.**

**Nichole: I'll make sure to next morning.**

**Kyle: So, uh, do you really think this will make a difference?**

**Nichole: I guess we'll find out in the coming days. But regardless, I'm proud of you for putting in the effort. :) **

**Kyle: Thanks. It's the least I can do. **

**Nichole: No problem.**

**Kyle: Hey Nichole?**

**Nichole: Yeah?**

**Kyle: I really do want to thank you. These past few weeks I've felt so alone, but then you came along and were like a light in the dark. Stan's still my best friend, but you? You're number two.**

**Kenny: Well that's hurtful.**

**Clyde: Wow, really Kyle?**

**Kyle: Kenny? Clyde?**

**Craig: Dude, seriously? You hang out with this girl for a few days and suddenly she's number two?**

**Tweek: I thought we were tighter than that.**

**Token: Why are you chatting with my ex-girlfriend?**

**Nichole: Token? When did you show up?**

**Kevin: Man, you really know how to make your loved ones feel worthless.**

**Butters: I'm number three, right?**

**Kyle: What, were you all just reading our entire conversation?**

**Scott: You know we've been trying really hard to make you feel better. The least you could do is show some gratitude!**

**Jimmy: Are my jokes not funny enough for you Kyle?**

**Timmy: TIMMY!**

**Kyle: Guys, I didn't mean it like that!**

**Randy: I guess our friendship really does mean nothing to you.**

**Kyle: You know what? I'm going to bed. TTYL.**

Abruptly shutting off his iPhone, Kyle collapsed onto his bed, sighing heavily. Reaching into his hat, he scratched his hair. He still hadn't gotten used to its shaved features.

For a few minutes, Kyle simply lay in his bed, staring up at the ceiling silently. The only sound was the howling of the wind in the night sky. He willed himself to fall asleep, but there was still much on his mind.

Eventually, Kyle sat up and faced his door. He stared at it for a few moments, wondering if he should go through with what he was thinking of. After a few moments, he got out of bed and slowly walked out of his room and into the hallway, heading to his parents room.

Hesitating for only a second, Kyle slowly creaked the door to his parents room open. He watched as his mother and father lay in their bed, sleeping peacefully.

"M-Mom?" He said. "Mom?"

Slowly, Sheila opened her eyes. Sitting up, her heavy-lidded eyes wandered to her son as he stood in at the door.

"Kyle?" She whispered. "What's wrong?"

Kyle stared at his mom silently, trying to find the words to speak. Eventually, he said, "Mom, I know we've had our. . . disagreements in the past. I know we don't always see eye-to-eye, and we've done things we regret. But I just want you to know. . . I don't resent having you as my mother."

Sheila stared at Kyle with a bewildered expression. "Oh," She said, sounding surprised. "Well I wouldn't have anyone else for my son, bubbe."

"I know," Kyle said, looking at the floor.

An awkward silence fell over the room. Eventually, Kyle whispered, "Goodnight. I love you, mom."

"I love you too, Kyle," Sheila replied.

Kyle nodded. Then, he shut the door and went back to his room to sleep.

* * *

_Read and review._


	12. An Unexpected Gift

_Nicole980: I kind of felt the scene with Kyle and his mother had to happen, so show him overcoming some of his insecurities._

* * *

When Kyle awoke the following morning, the first thing he did was open up his laptop and check Wendy's online fundraiser website to see if there had been any significant changes in the hours he'd been asleep.

As he clicked on the page, Kyle could feel a sense of nervously in the pit of his stomach. What if his campaign promotion hadn't gone over well? What if it hadn't gotten anyone's attention?

But when he finally opened the page, he immediately felt a sense of relief wash over him.

During the time since he'd sent the message, the number of donations on the site had gone up by a significant amount, and was still rising. When he opened up his Facebook page, he saw all sorts of responses to his message, a lot from kids his age, either from his school or other ones, and the feedback, much to his joy, was positive. They talked about how great Kyle's suggestions on how to mend the damage was, and how they were going to inform their parents and other adults about the message.

Kyle could feel his face brighten up. Granted, it was too early to tell if these positives would last, it was still more than gratifying that people were actually listening and appreciating what he was saying.

"Mom!" He called out, bursting out of his room and into his parents', causing both of them to spring out of bed in a rush. "You won't believe what happened!"

"Kyle?" Sheila called out, surprised by her son's sudden entrance. "What happened?"

"It worked!" He said, giving his mother a hug. "Last night, I made a message promoting the school's fundraising campaign, and it worked! More people are adding donations!"

"Gee, that's great, son," Gerald said in a somewhat dismissive tone. Sheila, on the other hand, gladly took Kyle into her arms.

"I'm so proud of you, son," She said.

"Thanks, mom," Kyle replied, tears of joy in his eyes.

* * *

At school the following day, Kyle actually sat with his friends during lunch for a change. Nichole happened to notice and gave him a thumbs up from her seat, which Kyle eagerly returned.

"Hey, so has anyone heard from Cartman?" Token asked. "I mean, he still hasn't come to school since the President left."

"I've tried talking to him, but it's like he's shut down," Stan replied, shrugging his shoulders. "I didn't realize Heidi meant so much to him."

Kyle was secretly relieved that Cartman wasn't showing up, at least for the time being. With all the stuff going on in his life right now, Cartman was the last person he needed to deal with, even more so than Heidi.

Stan snapped Kyle out of his thoughts when he abruptly mentioned, "Hey, I checked the online fundraiser this morning. I noticed how the donations went up quite a bit. We've already reached over half a million in record time."

"Oh yeah," Kyle said, smiling. "I didn't think my message would actually reach so many people."

"Well, this is kinda important," Clyde noted. "I think a lot of people want to fix things as fast as possible, even if it is by supporting a school fundraiser."

"Yeah, I had my parents contact as many people as possible as soon as you messaged me," Token said. "All of us did."

"Wow," Kyle said, genuinely surprised. "Thanks. Also, just to be clear, there are no hard feelings about that little text message last night."

"Nah," Craig reassured him. "In fact, we're so happy that you've contributed to the fundraiser that we actually decided to give you a little gift."

Kyle raised an eyebrow. "Really?" He said. "What?"

"It's a surprise," Clyde said coolly. "Just wait until after school."

"Um. . . okay," Kyle said, squinting his eyes a bit.

* * *

When school ended, the other boys blindfolded Kyle and led him to an unspecified area, one of them holding Kyle's wrist and leading him on.

"Okay seriously, where are you taking me?" Kyle asked after they had been walking for quite some time.

"Don't worry, we're almost here," He heard Clyde reassure him. Behind the blindfold, Kyle furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and suspicion, but he said nothing.

Eventually, Kyle heard the sound of a door being opened, and Clyde exclaimed, "We're here!" Almost immediately, Kyle felt someone rip the blindfolds from his eyes, allowing him to see where the boys had taken him. Almost immediately, his eyes widened in disbelief.

"Hey guys, welcome to Raisins," A blonde girl in skimpy clothing said as the boys entered the restaurant. Kyle had a perturbed look on his face as the boys eagerly rushed him inside.

"You brought me to. . . Raisins?" He said, still in shock.

"Surprise!" The other boys said, seemingly oblivious to his uncomfortable expression.

"We noticed how down you were about not hitting it off with Heidi," Clyde informed him. "So we brought you here to cheer you up. We pre-paid some of the girls to offer you a few favors."

"Favors?" Kyle asked, raising an eyebrow.

"So, what are you interested in?" Clyde asked as the boys continued to push him through the restaurant. "A nice old fashioned? Or maybe a quick blowy? Though you may want to beware of bacteria. . ."

"What?!" Kyle nearly shouted, prying himself from the other boys grip.

"What's wrong?" Craig asked. "Overwhelmed?"

"Um, yeah, a little," Kyle said, his face getting flushed. "Could we just order a quick meal instead?"

The other boys stared at him blankly. ". . . Dude, we gave up a lot of money for this," Stan told him.

"I know that," Kyle said, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's just. . . Stan, can I have a word with you outside for a moment?"

Stan exchanged glances with the other boys. "Alright," He said, and followed Kyle as they exited the restaurant, leaving the other boys alone.

"I don't think Kyle liked our gift," Butters mentioned to the other boys.

A brief silence ensued. "Oh well, I guess we can still make up for all that lost money," Clyde said eventually before rushing off after one of the waitresses. "Hey Mercedes? Can I ask a quick favor of you?"

* * *

The moment Stan and Kyle were outside, the redhead turned around and said, "Look Stan, I know what you're trying to do, and I really do appreciate the effort. But, uh. . . this is a little. . ."

"What?" Stan asked, confused. "We thought you'd be happier. I mean, I know things didn't work out between you and Heidi, but there are other girls out there."

"I don't care about Heidi!" Kyle abruptly shouted before immediately calming down. "It's just. . . I feel like our relationship hasn't really been the same."

"What do you mean?" Stan asked.

Kyle turned away from Stan, letting out a deep breath. "Well, in the past, we used to do so much things together," He explained. "When one of us had a problem or had to deal with something, we'd be there for each other. But lately, I feel like that's been happening a little less."

"But we do hang out with each other," Stan reminded him. "And we do help each other."

"Of course we do," Kyle replied. "But I feel like somewhere down the line, something changed."

There was an awkward silence. Eventually, Stan let out a sigh. "Look dude, you think I haven't noticed?" He asked. "I know we aren't quite like we used to be. That's just how it works; people change."

"Yeah, but I feel like we're not as happy for it," Kyle mumbled.

After a few moments, Stan asked, "Kyle, are you happier with Nichole?"

Kyle's eyes widened. "What?" He blurted out.

"It's just, you've been spending a lot of time with her," Stan said. "And once you did, you started changing. You stopped being such a loner. I'm happy and all, but why couldn't you have done that when I was trying to help?"

Kyle shrugged. "I dunno," He said. "Things just kind of clicked. Nichole's a great person to talk to and hang out with. I just feel better when she's around me."

". . . Should I talk to her?" Stan asked.

"Eh, maybe," Kyle mumbled. "But look, I'm still your best friend. Nichole's just helping me become better at it."

"Good," Stan muttered, sparing a small smile.

Another awkward silence passed. Eventually, Kyle spoke.

"Now, are there any other ways I can help with the fundraiser?"

* * *

_Read and review._


	13. Pains of the Past

_South Down: We'll just have to wait and see._

_Nicole980: Good advice._

* * *

"What did Kyle say?" Wendy asked Stan the following day at school.

"He said maybe we should make a video," Stan explained to her. "You know, an educational video that would get more people's attention and gather more donations for our fundraiser."

"Oh," Wendy replied. "That actually sounds like a great idea!"

"Yeah," Stan agreed. "Also, how was the fundraiser going again?"

"Oh, great," Wendy said. "After Kyle's online message, it appeared a lot of people got on board. In the last day or so donations have gone up by $50000."

"Wow, really?" Stan replied, shocked. "In that case, imagine how much more money the fundraiser will make when we put up our video. Heck, we should get the staff to call an assembly right now!" Exiting his desk, he prepared to leave the office when Wendy called out, "Hey, wait!"

Stan froze and turned around to face Wendy, a somewhat anxious look on his face. "Yes?"

After a tense silence, Wendy asked, "Stan, is there any reason you're doing this?"

"What do you mean?" Stan asked.

"You've never been interested in being student body vice president or whatever," She pointed out. "Now suddenly you take the job, with no prompting or even a voting? How come?"

Stan was silent for a few moments before responding. "I dunno," He replied, shrugging his shoulders. "I just wanted to help out, you know?"

"And that's it?" Wendy asked, raising an eyebrow. "That's the _only _reason?"

"Is there supposed to be another one?" Stan retorted, a little defensively.

Another tense silence ensued, and Wendy eventually closed her eyes and said, "No, it's fine. Let's just call the assembly."

"Alright, then what are we waiting for?" Stan asked. "Let's get a move on!"

With that, the two left the office.

* * *

"Alright everyone, listen up," PC Principal said once the school had gathered for the assembly a short time later. "The student body president and student body vice president have a special announcement to make about this school's current fundraiser. Give it away, Wendy Testaburger and Stan Marsh."

As the principal stepped to the side, the two co-presidents took their place in the center of the gymnasium. "Hey guys," Wendy started. "As you know, the school staff has organized a fundraiser in support of the people suffering in Canada, mainly Toronto. In the past few days, our fundraiser has gained a massive amount of support, thanks to a certain student here."

"But it's not enough," Stan continued on. "So, with that in mind, that student has proposed that we step things up a bit. We plan to create an online video, dedicated to talking about the damage done to Canada, and all the ways people can step in and help. We hope this will get even more people involved in our fundraiser."

At that, one of the students in the bleachers raised his hand. "Yes, Craig?" Stan called out.

"I recall we tried something similar a while back," Craig pointed out. "Pretty sure it was your idea back then. If memory serves, it didn't end well last time."

Stan narrowed his eyes. "It'll be different this time, Craig," He snapped. "We're not going to get involved in any big studio. This will be an independent, school-organized production. And it involves all of you. Now, are you with us?"

For a few moments, there was an uncomfortable silence throughout the gymnasium. For a tense few seconds, Stan worried he would see a repeat of what happened when Kyle had tried to stop Cartman and Heidi's fight in the hallways not too long ago.

Instead, however, in the center of the bleachers, Nichole slowly began clapping. A few of her girl friends joined her, followed by some of the boys. Eventually, the entire crowd began clapping as well.

Stan let out a sigh of relief. Finally, he had the school on his side.

* * *

The next day, the school went to work setting things up. It was decided the video would be taken at different locations throughout the school, with various students performing separate lines. As it was his idea, Kyle resolved to write the script for the video at home for him and his schoolmates to read for the video. Stan told him to think of it like he was writing a speech, only it would be given by numerous people.

"I'm so proud of you," Nichole told Kyle on the field while the school was organizing the event. "That was a very smart idea, making a video for the fundraiser."

"Thanks," Kyle replied, blushing slightly.

Stan approached him. "So Kyle, how's the script going?" He asked. "Because I want this video running this week."

"Oh, it's almost done," Kyle reassured him, smiling. "After that online message I did, writing has been much easier for me. I'm just adding some finishing touches."

"Oh, good," Stan said.

At that point, some of their friends dispersed from the crowd to talk with them. "So, uh, which students are gonna be performing which lines?" Token questioned.

"I don't think it matters," Stan replied. "We'll figure it out on the fly, I guess."

"What about Kyle?" Clyde asked. "He's the one writing the script. Don't you think he should have an important part in the video?"

"Yeah," Stan said. "I was thinking of having him open the video and then close it. Besides, he's always been good at giving speeches, so it would be no problem, right Kyle?"

"No problem at all," Kyle said, smiling at the compliment. A part of him was elated that he may actually have a chance to give a speech again, even if he was sharing it with others.

At that point, Butters asked, "Hey, Stan, so how are things going as vice president?"

"Oh, it's easier than you think," Stan reassured him. "I've taken more difficult roles."

"Uh-huh," Butters said. "And how are things between you and Wendy?"

Stan blinked. "Um, nothing much," He said, tripping over his words a bit. "We're just talking."

"Right," Butters replied innocently. "So, are you two hooking up now?"

At that, Stan narrowed his eyes. "Don't be a dick, Butters," He said, sighing as he spoke. "We're just colleagues, there's nothing else to it."

"Of course," Token said, rolling his eyes.

"Does that mean she's available, then?" Clyde questioned. Stan shot a glare at him and started muttering under his breath.

Before he could actually speak aloud, the sound of a few cars driving up alerted his attention, accompanied with one of the girls calling out, "Hey guys, look!"

The kids began to gather around as a couple of news reporter vans drove up to the entrance to the school. The doors opened up and a few anchormen appeared and headed over to the front of the school.

"Holy crap," Stan said, his eyes widened with shock. Had word gotten out about their video that quickly.

The head anchorman approached Stan. "Are you the head of this school fundraiser?" He asked, handing his mic over to the student body vice president.

Stan stared at the mic, a little confused. "Um, sort of," He said, shrugging his shoulders. He exchanged glances with some of his friends, who looked equally confused.

"Your school has gained a lot of traction in recent days for your support of Canada," The anchorman said as some of the other reporters flashed pictures of the crowd and the school. "Word has it that the President used to work at this school. Is that correct?"

"Yeah, that's true," Stan went on. "We just felt it would be more meaningful if the source of support came from this town."

"Uh-huh," The anchorman went on. "Your fundraiser gained a massive boom in popularity after an online message by a student here, of the name of Kyle Broflovski. Is he present?"

"Uh, yeah," Stan said, turning around and searching the crowd. He singled out Kyle, who was half-concealed by the other students. "Hey Kyle, can you come here for a second?"

Kyle looked hesitant, but after an encouraging glance from Nichole, approached the news team. "Hello," He said.

"So, you're the boy who sent the online message supporting this fundraiser?" The anchorman asked for confirmation.

"Yeah," Kyle replied, nodding.

"And according to recent news, you're the one who came up with the idea for the education video speaking in support of the people suffering in Canada?" The anchorman went on.

"That's correct," Kyle said. "We wanted to shed some more light on these issues, and I'm hoping this video could help us reach a larger audience to help the people in Toronto."

"Uh-huh," The anchorman said. There was a brief pause, then the anchorman flatly asked, "So, uh, how does that fit with you speaking _against _Canada not too long ago?"

The air temperature appeared to drop in an instant. ". . . W-What do you mean?" Kyle asked after a brief silence, his body becoming tense.

"If memory serves, you were the head of a group speaking against Canada and their negative influence on this country," The anchorman went on. "You said they were the cause of the problems facing America?"

"Oh, shit," Stan muttered under his breath.

Kyle stared blankly at the reporter, his mouth opening and closing as he tried to find the words to respond. "Well, um, sort of, but that has nothing to do with what's happening now," He said, even as sweat began to drip down his forehead.

"So do you still hold those feelings about Canada?" The anchorman continued.

"Well, not really," Kyle replied. "It's not really relevant to what's happening now."

"If I recall, your group did speak with the President, as a precursor to the nuking of Canada," The anchorman said. "Are you implying that isn't relevant to the current situation?"

"No, I, that's not what I meant," Kyle said, growing increasingly defensive. "I just. . . I changed my mind about my opinions then. All that matters is making a positive change."

"Did you decide that before or after the bomb dropped?" The anchorman questioned.

"Uh. . ." Kyle said, feeling a prickly feeling crawling up his spine. The rest of the crowd looked on, uncomfortable looks on their faces.

At that point, Stan intervened. "Okay, can you bring this back to me?" He said, grabbing the mic out of the anchorman's hand. "I'm the co-head of this fundraiser. If you want to ask questions, bring them up to me or the student body president."

As he spoke, Kyle turned and slowly walked away, a shell-shocked expression stricken on his face. His body twitched slightly as he moved through the crowd and slowly vanished behind the school.

Even as the anchorman continued to speak with Stan, the vice president couldn't help but notice as Kyle dejectedly vanished from the front of the school. _Shit,_ he thought to himself.

* * *

The moment he was behind the school, Kyle crumpled against the wall, breathing heavily and trying to keep from having an episode. He began to throw up on the ground and clutched his burning stomach. In a fit of rage, he kicked a nearby dumpster, leaving a small dent in the metal.

Pressing his head against the wall, Kyle tried to get his heartbeat under control again. He gritted his teeth tightly, trying to regain his composure.

At that point, a few of the kids appeared at his side. "Um, hey Kyle," Craig said, his tone blank.

"What do you want?" Kyle asked, his tone coming out harsher than he'd intended.

"Okay, um, we were talking a bit," Craig said, sounding unusually hesitant. "And please don't take this the wrong way. . ."

"You've done a lot of good for this fundraiser," Jason explained. "But, given your current. . . _image_, having your face on our video. . . well, it could give the wrong impression to the audience. . ."

Kyle's heart dropped. His eyes widened, even though he was still facing the wall. "You don't. . . want me in the video. . ."

"You can still write the script," Clyde reassured him. "Just finish it up and give it to us. It's just. . . negative publicity being what it is. . . you understand, right?"

Kyle was silent for a moment. Eventually, his voice dry, he whispered, "Yeah, I understand."

"Great," Clyde said, a nervous smile on his face. "Glad you see it our way. We'll break the news to Stan and Wendy, alright?"

"You do that," Kyle said, his voice cracking.

For a few moments, the kids simply stood there awkwardly. The only sound was that of Clyde scratching his head. Eventually, Craig said, "Alright, let's go," and the kids headed back to rejoin the crowd.

The moment they were gone, Kyle shut his eyes tightly and slammed his fist against the wall, his hand turning red from the blow.

* * *

_Read and review._


	14. An Instant Regret

_South Down: Indeed._

_Dragon Slaer: Donald Trump didn't nuke Canada; Mr. Garrison did._

_Nicole980: Kyle probably has the biggest guilty conscience of the main characters; if anyone would dwell on his mistakes, it would be him._

_Autumnmist93: That is kind of the intention with Kyle._

* * *

"What do you mean Kyle won't be in the video?!" Stan shouted at his friends in the cafeteria later on.

"We're just saying it would look bad given his image," Craig replied calmly, while the rest of the boys shivered next to him. "I mean, first Kyle speaks out against Canada, and now you're gonna have him in a video promoting Canada? It just sends mixed signals, that's all."

"But he changed!" Stan pointed out. "He realized he was wrong and he changed. Isn't that enough."

"Well, think about it," Kevin said. "Imagine it Hitler went up on stage talking about the dangers of ethnic cleansing after the Holocaust? Would that be enough?"

Stan turned to stare at him, a baffled look on his face. "Dude," Was all he said.

"Okay, bad example," Kevin said, lowering his head.

"Look, this whole thing was Kyle's idea," Stan reminded the boys. "We wouldn't be able to pull it off without him. Is it really too much to ask to let him be in the video that he's making?"

"Hey, we went to Kyle first," Clyde said. "He's totally fine with it. Besides, he's still writing the script. He's still part of the video, just in more. . . subtle ways."

"That's not enough!" Stan shouted at them, causing a few of them to flinch. "Kyle's more important than just a script writer. He has to have a bigger part."

"Why?" Craig asked flatly.

Stan opened his mouth to respond, but nothing came out. He shifted his eyes, realizing he was at a loss for words. "You know what, I'll just go talk to Kyle myself," He said, scooting off his seat and walking out of the cafeteria, his face twisted into confusion.

He headed down the hallway and outside onto the field, where Kyle was out running track and field - yet another of the extracurricular activities Nichole had suggested for him. He was actually pretty good at it, too, finishing in third place.

As soon as the kids were done running, Stan waved to Kyle and called out, "Hey Kyle, can you come over here?"

Kyle glanced at the other racers, then headed over to Stan. "Yes, Stan?" He asked.

"Some of the boys said you're not gonna be in the video?" Stan said. "Are you serious about that?"

Kyle clenched his fists slightly before replying, "Yes."

"Dude, it's your script," Stan said. "Aren't you upset?"

"It sucks, but it's nothing to get worked up over," Kyle replied, visibly trying to keep from showing any emotion. "Besides, as long as the message gets through, that's enough."

"No, it's not," Stan retorted. "You deserve to have a bigger part in this. There has to be something else you can do besides write the script."

"What else is there for me to do?" Kyle asked.

"Uh," Stan said, trying to think of something. Finally, his eyes lit up and he exclaimed, "The set! You can help work on the set! The behind the scenes, the designs, all of that!"

"Really?" Kyle asked, raising an eyebrow. "I dunno. . ."

"Come on, you'll love it!" Stan reassured him. "If you're not gonna be in the video, you can at least choose how it'll look."

Kyle thought to himself for a moment. "Well actually, I do have some suggestions for the backgrounds and stuff," He said. "You know what, yeah. I'll go to the teachers as soon as track and field is done!"

"Awesome!" Stan said, giving Kyle a high-five just before the redhead rushed off to rejoin the track and field team. Stan turned and headed off, feeling a little better about himself now that he'd helped Kyle out, even if only slightly.

* * *

Shortly after school ended, Stan was busy tidying up his and Wendy's office when Tweek happened to enter the office.

"Um, Stan, can I talk to you?" He asked, a nervous expression on his face.

"Yeah?" Stan said, turning to face him.

"Um, I noticed Kyle speaking with the teachers about him joining the staff working on the video set," Tweek explained to him.

"Yeah, that was my idea," Stan said proudly.

Tweek paused a bit before responding. "Um, are you sure that was the right decision?" He asked, twitching slightly.

Stan's smile vanished. "Yeah, why wouldn't it be?" He asked.

Tweek shifted his eyes. "Kyle didn't see who _else _was joining the set," He pointed out. He beckoned for Stan to follow him into the hallways and into the gymnasium, bringing him up to a list of the kids who were part of setting up.

"Okay, what is this about?" Stan asked, folding his arms. He just wanted to go home.

His expression still nervous, Tweek pointed a trembling finger at the list. Stan followed his gaze and looked at the list of names.

_Kyle B._

_Isla._

_Kelly P._

_Hei-_

"Oh shit," Stan exclaimed, doing a double take to make sure he read that last name correctly.

_Heidi T._

As he stared down at the name, Stan's expression now mirrored that of Tweek's.

"Oh. . . shit," He repeated.

* * *

"Wait, what?!" Kyle shouted when Stan and the other boys confronted him about the subject at his house later on. "She's part of the set, too?!"

"She signed up shortly after you did," Tweek pointed out to him. "She had no idea-"

"Ah, crap," Kyle shouted, spinning around in his chair and face-planting into his desk.

"Dude, if it bothers you so much, can't you just back out?" Craig pointed out to him.

"I can't do that," Kyle replied. "I just signed up for it. Besides, I had a lot of plans for how to work the set, too! I can't go back on that!"

"So, what are you gonna do?" Token asked. "I mean, you clearly have issues with Heidi."

Kyle groaned. "I don't know," He said, pressing his face against his hands. "Can't she back out?"

"For what, trying to help with the video?" Stan asked. "You may not like her, but that's no excuse not to let her participate."

Kyle grumbled. "What's Nichole's phone number?" He asked abruptly. "I need to talk to her."

At that, Stan narrowed his eyes. "Talk to her for what?" He asked harshly. "Are we not doing a good enough job for you?"

"What?" Kyle asked. "No, it's just. . . talking to her helps."

"Yeah, and I guess we don't?" Stan retorted. "Your best friends can't help, but some girl you barely even talked to up until now can?"

Kyle's eye twitched. "Alright, Stan, so what do you suggest?" He asked through gritted teeth.

"I dunno, maybe just grit your teeth and bare it," He suggested. "It's not like you have to talk to her or anything."

Kyle stared at Stan silently. A chilly, almost deathly silence filled the air, giving all the boys in the room goosebumps.

Eventually, Kyle spoke, his voice barely above a whisper, "Could you. . . leave for a moment?"

"What do you mean?" Stan asked.

"Get out of my room," Kyle requested, his voice chilly. "Just for a minute."

"Um, okay," Stan said, and he and the other boys exited Kyle's room, shutting the door behind them. They stayed out in the hallways, staring at the closed door in front of them, wondering what Kyle was doing inside his room by himself.

_CRACK! BAM! THUNK! CHING! CHOW!_

Immediately, the boys jumped in alarm as the sound of smashing and things breaking filled Kyle's room. Their first instinct was to rush in and see what was going on, but something kept them from doing so.

After about a minute, the smashing sounds stopped, and the door slowly creaked open to reveal Kyle. His hat was hanging half off his head and his hair was somewhat disheveled, and he was breathing heavily. He stared at the boys, a harsh look in his eyes.

"Okay," He said, calming down. "Okay. Okay. Okay. Alright. Alright. You're right. If Heidi wants to be part of the set, good for her. I have no problem with it. I've handled worse. It's okay."

The other boys stared at Kyle, slightly unnerved. Stan tried to peer into Kyle's room, but his friend blocked his view. "Um, are you sure?" He asked.

"Yes, I'm sure," Kyle replied, an agitated expression on his face. "I'm fine. It's fine. Just. . . leave me alone."

". . . Okay," Stan said after a tense pause. With that, he and the other boys headed turned and left, only too willing to comply with Kyle's last request.

* * *

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	15. Hurt and Comfort

_Dragon Slaer: Well that's not gonna happen._

_South Down: Possibly._

_Nicole980: Indeed._

* * *

"This is so embarrassing," Heidi lamented to Nichole the following day at school while they were waiting near the gymnasium. "I can't believe me and Kyle are both gonna have to work at the set together. What if he lashes out at me?"

Nichole groaned, uncomfortable. "Don't worry, I doubt Kyle will do that," She tried to reassure her. "He's probably even more nervous about this than you are. Besides, this whole video is very important to him; there's no way he'd let a grudge get in the way of it."

"I understand," Heidi said. "But still. . . hey, you think this could be an opportunity for us to finally talk?"

"Uh," Nichole said, casting her eyes down. "As much as I'd like for that to happen, I think it'd be best if the two of you gave each other a _wide _berth. Kyle's still dealing with a lot of stuff at the moment, and I don't think it's the right time for you to talk."

"Will it ever be?" Heidi asked, in a somewhat frustrated tone.

"I don't know," Nichole retorted, rubbing the back of her head. "I'm still talking with Kyle, and well. . . you make him feel uncomfortable. Maybe when he's in a better state, but until that happens, just don't cause any trouble."

Heidi let out a groan and looked at the floor dejectedly. Nichole stared at her in pity, but diverted her eyes when she noticed Kyle happen to approach.

The redhead's eyes were baggy from a lack of sleep, but there was nonetheless a look of determination on his face. He made a conscious effort to avoid looking at Heidi and instead walked over to Nichole.

"Hey Nichole, I finished the script," He said to her. "Oh, and I also drew some designs for the set. I was thinking of adding some Canadian symbols in the video."

"Oh, that's a great idea," Nichole said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Well, you better get to that. And make sure that no trouble arises." As she finished her sentence, she hardened her grip on his shoulder, causing Kyle to flinch slightly. He didn't understand what she meant until he remembered that Heidi was standing nearby.

"I understand," Kyle said, and Nichole let go of him. He knew she wasn't trying to be threatening; she was just warning him.

"I gotta get to class," Nichole said, striding down the hallway. As she vanished from sight, Heidi briefly turned towards Kyle. The moment she did, Kyle quickly snapped his head around to avoid her gaze. Heidi's shoulders slumped.

It quickly became apparent these next few days weren't going to be easy for either of them.

* * *

As Nichole headed down the hallways, she was met by Stan, not looking particularly happy.

"Hey, Nichole?" He said, his arms folded across his chest.

"Yes?" Nichole asked, her voice neutral.

"Can I just ask you something?" He asked, not losing his cold expression.

"Yes?"

"Why is it that Kyle suddenly wants to talk to you about everything?" He asked her, unfolding his arms. "Just the other day, he was asking for your phone number because he didn't want to talk to us about working with Heidi. When did you suddenly become his super best friend?"

"I dunno," Nichole replied casually, and stepped to the side to leave, but Stan blocked her.

"What kind of answer is that?" Stan asked.

"It's the best one I've got," Nichole retorted. "Look, Kyle still thinks you're his best friend. I haven't replaced you, or anything. You should be happy he's getting better at all."

"Yeah, but why from you?" Stan asked. "What did you do differently?"

"Maybe you should ask him?" Nichole suggested.

"Fine," Stan said, somewhat aggressively. "Maybe I will!"

"Good, then go do it," Nichole said, side-stepping out of the way and heading off. "I'm gonna be late for class."

Stan watched her leave, glaring at her. As soon as she was out of earshot, his face softened and he sneaked off to the nearest classmate, Butters.

"Hey, Butters?" He said.

"Yeah, Stan?" He asked.

"Could you go ask Kyle what Nichole did differently?"

* * *

When Kyle gave the school the script for the video, the lines were divided upon different students who would be partaking in the video. The students spent time practicing and rehearsing their lines while the background set was created according to Kyle's designs.

Throughout the process, Kyle's face was twisted into a seemingly permanent scowl. Even while on opposite sides of the room, he still couldn't get past having to share his space with Heidi. It didn't help that she was clouding his mind and disrupting his focus.

On the other side of the gym, Heidi and the other students painted one of the background boards to look like an outdoor field. She couldn't help but glance over to Kyle every now and then when he wasn't looking (which was pretty much all the time). Even when he looked so angry and exhausted, it couldn't hide how beautiful he was. For all he'd been teased for his crush on Heidi, if anything, she was drawn to him first. It was little wonder so many girls had been attracted to him in the past.

It was shame, then, that she'd twisted him so that his inside didn't match his exterior. Now he was so filled with anger and pain, and even with Nichole there, that pain wasn't going away any time soon.

She was grateful that Nichole was there. She was better for him than she could ever hope to be. But still, it hurt to know that he would never look at her the way he did Nichole. Never see her as a light in the dark like Nichole.

Nearby, one of the girls let out a groan of despair. It was Isla, who was standing in front of a video camera held by Kip Drordy, holding a paper containing her lines.

"Come on, Isla, it's not that hard," Esther reassured her.

"I can't do it!" Isla exclaimed, tightening her grip on the paper. "I can't read these lines on camera. Not when so many people are gonna be watching!"

"Everyone else is doing just fine!" Nelly chastised her. "It's only one sentence! You won't even be on-video for that long!"

"But what if I screw up?" Isla asked. "What if I'm too emotional, or not emotional enough? If I can't say these lines right, the whole video will be thrown off!"

Heidi watched her, a little uncomfortable. She hadn't known Isla to be so worrisome. Then again, that did make her wonder: _Did I do that to her?_

"For your sake, you'd better say those lines right!" Nelly snapped, clearly losing her patience. "You're not fucking two years old! This is the easiest damn thing to do!"

Both Heidi and Isla flinched, and tears began to brim in the latter's eyes. Suddenly, a flurry of orange and green filled Heidi's vision, and before she could react, Kyle was standing in front of the brunette.

"Hey, Isla, take it easy," He said softly. "There's no need to get so stressed."

"But it's your video," Isla replied. "If I screw up, I'll ruin it."

"No you won't," Kyle reassured her. "Everyone will be here, making sure everyone does their best."

Isla looked down, sniffing a bit and struggling to wipe the tears from her eyes. Leaning over, Kyle wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, patting her back as she tried to get her crying under control.

"Don't worry, it's gonna be fine," Kyle whispered to her, sliding his hand through her large, curly brown hair. "If you don't feel you did your line right, we can always try again. That's what rehearsing is for. And hey, you can even receive lessons from Kelly Gardner; she's a great actress."

Isla slowly returned the embrace, leaning her head against Kyle's for comfort. The other kids watched on, impressed and somewhat endeared.

"Aww," Heidi whispered. A part of her was relieved that even after the damage she'd done to him, Kyle still hadn't lost his comforting side.

_CRASH!_

Heidi and the other kids jumped in alarm as the large background they had been painting tipped over. Heidi realized that she'd been so distracted watching Kyle she hadn't noticed she'd been leaning too much on the board.

A muffled cry was heard beneath the fallen board, and the students realized someone had been crushed underneath it. Hurriedly, they struggled to pull the board off the unfortunate student. However, the board was really large and heavy, and the students strained to lift it.

Heavy footsteps hurried over to the board, and the students instantly felt the board become lighter. Releasing it, they turned and saw Kyle lift the board up with both hands, visibly straining. After a few moments, he flipped the board over, releasing a trapped Kevin underneath. The black-haired boy let out a large breath after nearly suffocating.

As Kyle helped Kevin to his feet, one of the teachers rushed over. "What happened?" He asked.

After a few moments, Heidi replied. "I'm sorry," She said. "I was leaning on the board, and I didn't notice it begin to. . ."

"God, can you do anything right?!" Kyle asked harshly as he held onto Kevin, his eyes narrowed at Heidi.

The brunette froze and turned to look at Kyle. The comforting demeanor he had while consoling Isla had vanished into thin air, as if it were never there. A look of anger was strewn across his face as he glared at Heidi. She tried to find the words to respond, but nothing came out.

Eventually, Kyle turned to stare at the board. "It's broken," He said, his voice low. "It's no good. We're gonna have to get another one. Can someone take Kevin to the school nurse, too? I think he may have a few bruises."

As Esther hurried over to take Kevin and help the limping boy out of the gym, Kyle, his head lowered, walked away to continue working on another set, not sparing another glance at Heidi.

She watched him go, a look of utter dejection on her face. Eventually, she let out a sigh and went to go paint another background.

* * *

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	16. An Old Friend Returns

_Dragon Slaer: Interesting comparison._

_South Down: I guess._

_Nicole980: Who is this 'Kein' you are referring to? /s._

* * *

"I'm telling you, Eric, everyone's getting involved in this fundraiser for Canada," Butters told Cartman as he sat by his bed. "We're making an educational video. You have to be a part of it."

"B-B-But what's the point of being a part of something when I'm part of nothing?" Cartman whined in his bed. "Heidi was the only good thing in my life, and now she's gone!" Breaking into sobs, he blew into his tissue.

"But Heidi's part of the video, too," Butters told him. "She's part of the set."

"What's your point?" Cartman asked, wiping away his tears.

"Well, maybe if you helped in making the video, she'd see there's still good in you," Butters suggested.

"But I. . . oh, what's the point?" Cartman whined. "It's over for us! There's no way Heidi will take me back! It's pointless!" He then continued sobbing.

After a brief pause, Butters muttered, "Kyle joined the set, too."

At that, Cartman snapped up, any trace of sadness gone from his face. "What?"

"I'm pretty sure he joined the set right after Heidi did," Butters said. "Heck, word is going out the two were even talking with each other in the middle of setting up."

Cartman's jaw hung open in utter disbelief. "That. . . that sneaky little asshole," He whispered in shock. "It's not enough that he caused Heidi to break up with me. Now he's trying to steal her for himself. I bet he's planning on rubbing it in my face as soon as he gets the chance. . ."

_"Haha!" _He heard Kyle's voice taunting him in his mind. _"I have a girlfriend and you don't! Because I _stole _her from you!"_

"And after all I did for him," He muttered, his hands tightening into fists. "Risking my life to help him find his missing brother. And this is how he repays me? By kicking me when I'm down?!"

He could already picture it. Kyle, a smug expression on his face, with his greedy Jew hands holding onto _his _Heidi. Touching her, running his covetous hands all over her, sullying her, _kissing _her...

"No!" He shouted, springing out of bed so fast he knocked Butters flat on his bottom. "I'm not letting him do this! Whatever he's planning on doing with her, he won't get away with it! Mom!"

After a few moments, Liane appeared at the door. "Yes, sweetie?" She asked, patiently.

"I'm not sick anymore!" He declared. "I wanna go to school tomorrow!"

"That's nice to hear, dear," She said. "Your grades have been plummeting even more than usual since you've done no work."

"Screw that!" Cartman shouted. "I have a girl to save! There's no way I'm letting her fall for that sneaky little Jew!"

* * *

The very next day, Kyle walked with Stan and Kenny towards school.

"So, how has working in the set been?" Stan asked.

"Oh, it's actually been fun," Kyle replied. "The kids there are really nice. There are a few things I could do without, but it's fine. I love watching the kids recording the lines from the script. At the rate things are going, work should be done within the week, and then the video will be up."

"(How is the fundraiser going, anyways?)" Kenny asked.

"The donations have gone up exponentially!" Stan informed them as they entered the school. "It's actually crazy. We've received more money than we were even expecting. Imagine what will happen when the video goes up!"

"(Hey Kyle?)" Kenny asked. "(You're not too worked up about working with Heidi, are you?)"

Kyle paused for a moment. "Ah, it's okay," He reassured them. "I've had worse."

As they headed down towards the gymnasium, Butters approached them. "Hey Kyle!" He called to them. "You won't believe it! Someone else just joined the set crew!"

"Wow, really?" Kyle asked happily. "That's great! Who?"

Butters responded by pointing towards the entrance of the gymnasium, where the student had just finished signing in. Kyle followed the direction of his finger and laid eyes upon the student.

As soon as he saw who it was, he felt his heart stop.

"So I have to sign my name right here?" Cartman asked, writing his name on the paper. "Alright then, I guess I'm in." As he finished, he noticed Kyle in the hallway and twisted his head over to look him in the eyes, a sneering gleam on his face.

All the blood had drained from Kyle's face. He stood there, his mouth hanging open, looking like he'd seen a ghost.

"Cartman?!" Stan shouted in surprise. "What the Hell are you doing here?"

"Well it wasn't like I was going to stay out of school forever," Cartman replied smugly. "After all, there's a lot of things to look forward to at school. Things to make sure aren't being _taken_." As he said it, he gave a quick glance towards Kyle, who still had the same shell-shocked expression on his face.

"Isn't it great, fellas?" Butters said to them. "I finally got Eric to realize there was more to life. He's finally come back to us! Isn't that wonderful?"

Stan stared at Butters with a half-bewildered, half-annoyed expression. Kenny was flat-out glaring at them. Kyle, on the other hand, had a look of utter horror stricken on his face.

No...

As Cartman continued to stare at him, silently mocking him, for a brief moment, everything in Kyle's vision begin to go red. His left eye began twitching, feeling like it was going to burst.

_No..._

"Hey Kyle, what do you think?" Butters was saying to him, oblivious to how his look of horror shifted into something else. "You and your old pal are gonna be working together? It'll be just like-"

_**No...**_

Everything went silent. Kyle couldn't hear anything aside from his own voice inside his head. For a moment, he forgot that Stan, Kyle, Butters, _everyone _was there. The only thing he saw at that moment was Cartman.

Almost unconsciously, he began to surge forward.

_**Nooooooo...**_

"Hey Kyle!"

Immediately, Kyle snapped out of his trance as he heard Nichole's voice calling his name a distance away. The red faded from vision and everything returned to normal, and the twitching in his eye ceased.

Turning around, Kyle noticed he'd moved halfway away from Stan and Kenny towards Cartman. Odd. He didn't think he'd moved _that _far...

"Hey Kyle, Wendy wants to know when the set will be finished construction," Nichole said to him once she'd reached him.

"Uh. . ." Kyle said, still trying to recollect his thoughts after his mind briefly went blank. "Tell her it should be done by the end of the week."

Nichole noticed how lost he looked. "Are you okay?" She asked, concerned.

Kyle glanced over towards Stan and Kenny, who were clearly wondering the same thing. "I'm fine," He said, looking at the floor.

"Alright then," Nichole said. "Tell me how the day goes for you. Bye." With that, she turned and headed off. After some hesitation, the boys left, too, Stan sparing one last concerned look at Kyle.

Kyle turned to stare at Cartman, who flipped him off and headed into the gymnasium. Kyle didn't even respond; all he could think about was what had just happened a few moments ago. It was like he wasn't even in control of his own body.

"What the Hell _was_ that?" He wondered to himself.

He didn't get an answer.

* * *

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	17. A Rivalry Reignited

_Nicole980: Yeah, I know._

_Autumnmist93: He's definitely not possessed, so there's that. Whether or not that makes it better is up for debate._

_South Down: Not soon enough._

_Dragon Slaer: Hopefully._

* * *

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Heidi shouted in anger when she went to the gymnasium later that day and discovered the news. "How could you let Eric join the set?"

"Well it's not like we can ban a student who wants to participate in the fundraiser," The gym teacher explained to her. "He applied for it, so we-"

"You don't understand," Heidi cut him off. "Eric's not going to participate. All he's gonna do is ruin things for everyone else, like he always does!"

"Well I'm sure you and the other students can show him the proper way to participate before he makes a mistake," The teacher said. "Anyways, you guys had better get busy working on the set." With that, he headed off.

"No, that's not what I meant," Heidi said as the teacher left, before letting out a frustrated, "Guaaaah!"

As soon as she was done screaming, an all-to-familiar voice said from behind her, "Hey babe, what's up?"

Heidi's head snapped up, before her eyes narrowed. Then, her eyes narrowed and her shoulders slumped. Without even turning around to face him, she grumbled out, "What do you want?"

"So Heidi, it turns out you're working on the set, too?" Cartman said, a mocking tone in his voice. "Wow, what an odd coincidence. Not that I'm complaining, though. I guess this means we're gonna have to be working _really _close together now."

Heidi furrowed her eyebrows. "You stay far away from me, got it?" She asked, turning around to face me. "Like, a whole room away from me?"

"Oh, yes ma'am," Cartman replied sarcastically. "The last thing I'd want to do is make you unhappy. Not that I'm good at that, after all."

Heidi glared at him. "Don't think just because we're working in the set you're somehow gonna take me back," She said. "I'm over you."

For a moment, Cartman's smirk vanished and he, too, started glaring at Heidi. He wasn't staring at her face, though.

"W-What?" Heidi asked, a little unnerved.

"Nothing," Cartman grumbled. "Just concerned for your physical health, that's all. While I was home, I'd hate to hear you'd been touched by someone else. A someone with which the word "K" has two meanings. . ."

"What. . . what do you. . ." Heidi said, baffled, before she realized what Cartman was referring to. "Are you shitting me? He feels the same about me as I feel about you!"

Cartman's jaw dropped. Briefly turning away from Heidi, he muttered under his breath, "So he _is _trying to take her for himself. That little snake!"

"What did you say?" Heidi asked, not fully catching what Cartman had muttered.

"Nothing," Cartman replied, turning around to face her. "Well, babe, I just want you to know you shouldn't be worried. As long as I'm here, nothing is going to happen to you. Anyways, what are we standing around here for? It's time to set up!"

Not even sparing Heidi another word, Cartman then headed off. Heidi spun around to watch him go, a confused and enraged expression on her face, before she simply headed off in the opposite direction.

* * *

Throughout the entire period, Kyle, Heidi and Cartman spent the time in three separate sections, far away from each other. Kyle tried to ignore their presence as he simply worked on painting and helping the more timid students with their line reading.

Heidi was stressed out. It was bad enough that she had to share space with a boy who hated her; now she had to put up with a boy who _thinks _he likes her. She had to wonder if Kyle thought the same about her as she did her ex.

In the middle of the period, Cartman casually strode up to some of the kids who were painting one of the background sets. "'Sup, gaywads?" He said. "What's this supposed to be?"

". . . It's supposed to be the background for our video," Kevin said timidly. "You see, there's some beavers here in the left corner, and up in the top-right corner-"

"Why the Hell are you painting some stupid beavers?" Cartman asked. "Why not something badass, like a raccoon?"

"Because they're Canada's national animal," Louis explained, next to Kevin. "Now as Kevin was saying, in the top-right corner there's a maple leaf where the sun should be-"

"Who's stupid idea was it to replace the sun with a maple leaf?" Cartman asked.

"Um, it was Kyle," Kevin said. "He drew all the illustrations. We're just copying his drawings in the paintings."

"Oh," Cartman said, furrowing his eyebrows. Abruptly, he snatched a paintbrush, dipped it in green, and proceeded to paint over the beavers.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Louis asked in a horrified tone, springing up from his seat.

"No, no, we can definitely do better than some stupid beavers," Cartman said, blocking Louis with his hand. "There definitely should be a raccoon in there."

"You could've just painted one in the empty space," Kelly said. "You didn't have to erase Louis' artwork."

"Well there's nothing we can do about it, now," Cartman replied dismissively. "Anyways, as I was saying, let's put in something cool." Quickly, he began hastily painting over where the group of beavers had been moments ago.

The other kids watched Cartman paint the 'raccoon', before Louis piped up, "Hey, that's not a raccoon. It's just some fat kid in a mask."

"Of course it's a 'coon," Cartman retorted. "Now shut up and let me paint!"

"Cartman, what the Hell are you doing?" An exasperated voice asked from behind Cartman, who whirled around to see Kyle, glaring at him with a tired expression.

". . . Oh, hey Kyle," Cartman said, getting up. "I was just contributing to this painting here. Heard you drew the illustrations for these. Nice work, I must say."

Kyle glanced at the painting. "Where are the beavers?" He asked, every word sounding like a groan.

"Beavers?" Cartman asked. "What beavers? Oh, the ones Kevin painted. Well, I just kind of felt they weren't a realistic depiction of an actual beaver, so I took the liberty of updating it and all."

Kyle narrowed his eyes. "Whatever, I have more important things to attend to," He said. Turning around, he was about to head off, when suddenly Heidi called out, "Hey, my side is out of green paint. Can someone lend us some."

With a sigh, Kyle turned back around. "Let me borrow this," He said, picking up the green paint from where Cartman and the other boys were standing, before heading off in Heidi's direction.

Cartman's jaw dropped and his eyes narrowed as Kyle approached Heidi's position. _Yeah, nice excuse, Kyle, _he thought. _Don't think I don't see what you're up to._

Looking around, Cartman noticed a football that had been left out on the floor. Rushing towards it, he picked it up and quickly hurled it towards the back of Kyle's head.

"Look out!" Isla shouted as the football went soaring towards Kyle's head. Quickly, the redhead whirled around and saw the ball flying towards him. Instinctively, he swung his fist out and batted the ball away, sending it spiraling towards the background painted board. It crashed against the board, leaving a large dent in the wood. Some paint splashed off the board and onto some of the boys, eliciting shouts of surprise.

Kyle's jaw dropped in shock. Nearby, one of the teachers rushed over. "What happened to the board?" He asked when he saw the dent.

"Cartman threw a football at Kyle and he tossed it at the board," Louis quickly said.

The teacher turned towards both boys. "This is not the time for games, you two," He reprimanded them. "Now another board has to be replaced."

"No. . . that wasn't what I-" Kyle stuttered, stunned at what had just happened.

"Well, go take the broken board out," The teacher ordered. Kyle simply groaned before he and Cartman walked over to hoist up the dented board and carry it out.

As they did, the two exchanged murderous glares at each other.

* * *

During lunch, Kyle joined the other boys at the cafeteria again. Strangely, Cartman wasn't there.

"How was the set?" Stan asked.

"It sucks!" Kyle retorted. "As soon as Cartman joined, he's been ruining everything! I can't believe we have to spend the rest of the week working with him!"

"Butters, why the Hell did you convince Cartman to come back now?" Craig asked, annoyed. "Making this video just got a million times harder!"

"Well, I just thought it was great that Cartman's motivated to come back to school," Butters replied. "Isn't that right, Kyle?" As he spoke, he tried to place a hand on Kyle's shoulder, only for it to be shaken off.

"Don't touch me," Kyle bluntly said.

"Well, at the very least, the set's almost done, anyways," Token said. "There's not much Cartman can do to ruin it. Just grit your teeth and bare it."

"Yeah," Kyle said, shifting his eyes. Abruptly, he scooted off the seat and began to leave.

"Hey, where are you going?" Stan asked.

"I need to go the restroom," Kyle replied bluntly. He was about to continue when Butters hopped off after him and grabbed his wrist.

"Ah come on, Kyle, you just started sitting back with us aga-" He started, only to be suddenly cut off when Kyle whirled around and pressed his thumb and index finger against his throat.

"Don't . . . touch. . . _me_," He repeated, in a slightly darker tone. Immediately, all the boys went silent, staring at Kyle in discomfort.

After a few moments, Kyle's face softened when he noticed Butters' shocked expression. Removing his hand from his neck, he mumbled an apology and hastily rushed out of the cafeteria, into the hallways, and into the boys' restroom, not looking back once.

As soon as he was in the restroom, he quickly turned on the water and began washing his face. "Come on, Kyle, get a grip," He said, looking at himself in the mirror. "You've dealt with Cartman before. You can't let him get to you now."

For a few moments, he simply stared at his reflection, silently pondering what the near-future held for him. He was so busy reflecting he didn't notice one of the stalls swing open until he noticed a large shadow engulf him.

"Well Kyle, fancy meeting you here," Cartman sneered at him.

Kyle groaned. "Not in the mood, fatass," He said, turning to exit the restroom. Before he could take one step, however, Cartman grabbed him by the collar and roughly hurled him against the stall.

"Ow!" He shouted. Before he could move, Cartman grabbed him by the collar and pinned him against the stall.

"You listen to me, you little Jew," Cartman growled at him. "Don't think I'm not onto you."

"Onto me?" Kyle asked. "What the Hell are you talking about?"

"Don't play coy with me, Kyle!" Cartman snapped. "You think I don't see you looking at Heidi? I know what you're up to. You've been using my absence to try and pilfer my girlfriend right under my nose!"

"What?!" Kyle asked. "First of all, Heidi's not your girlfriend anymore. Second of all, the last thing I want is to be with her!"

"Oh right, the two of you just happen to join the set and you're totally not eyeing her," Cartman said. "Come on, Kyle, how stupid do you think I am."

"You wouldn't like the answer if I told you," Kyle replied, narrowing his eyes. "Besides, even if I was trying to get Heidi to be my girlfriend, what difference would that make to you. She's not going back to you, regardless."

Cartman pressed Kyle against the stall, glaring at him, but Kyle kept his stony expression. He wasn't scared in the slightest; he knew he could rip Cartman in half if it came down to a fight, and he was sure Cartman knew it, too.

Finally, Cartman relented. "We'll just see about that, Kyle," He said, stepping away from him. "See you after lunch."

As he turned to leave, Kyle called out, "You didn't wash your hands."

Cartman paused for a moment. "Well that's not my problem, is it?" He sneered, before exiting the cafeteria.

As soon as he was gone, Kyle glanced down at his coat where Cartman's hands had been moments ago. With a groan, he grabbed a paper towel and began to wipe it off.

* * *

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	18. A Desperate Plea

_South Down: There's tension in the air, all right._

_Nicole980: Not that bad._

* * *

The rest of the week passed by slowly. _Painfully_ slowly.

Cartman didn't let up following his first day working in the set. If anything, he only got worse. For the next several days, he did everything he could to undermine Kyle and his work in some manner.

Many of the lines Kyle had wrote for the students had been thrown out and hastily replaced by Cartman, forcing Kyle to do them all over again. Several of Kyle's illustrations that the students were supposed to copy mysteriously vanished, and Kyle was too occupied by his schoolwork to replace them, causing them to have to rely on Cartman's (nowhere near as good) drawings as a substitute. And it didn't help that wherever Kyle went, he was the unfortunate recipient to certain "accidents", especially when Heidi happened to be nearby.

By Thursday, Kyle was pretty much at his breaking point. When the period ended, he exhaustively exited the gymnasium and was met by Nichole in the hallway.

"You don't look so good," She said immediately, taking notice of his heavy eye bags and dry hair.

"Yeah, well I just got done washing out my hair," Kyle grumbled in reply. "A bucket of red paint just happened to fall on my head while I was passing the bleachers."

Nichole hummed. "Hey, chin up," She said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "This Friday tomorrow, the school will be presenting the video for our parents in the afternoon. You won't have to spend another day working in this set."

"Yeah," Kyle said, managing a weak smile.

"Hey, why don't I take you out for dinner this afternoon?" Nichole said. "Maybe it'll help ease your thoughts a bit."

Kyle brightened up. "Oh, thanks!" He replied. "I'd love to!"

Nichole gave Kyle a one-armed hug and headed off to class. Kyle strode off as well, oblivious to Stan watching him from a distance, a baffled look on his face, having overheard the entire conversation.

_Take him out to dinner? _He thought to himself. _What the Hell is that supposed to mean?_

As he pondered the question in frustration, Heidi exited the gymnasium, followed closely by Cartman.

"Hey Heidi, did you see Kyle's face when that bucket of paint fell on him?" He said, laughing hysterically. "He looked like Carrie! What a klutz!"

Heidi turned and muttered a string of swears before trying to head off. However, Cartman grabbed her by the arm and said, "So, uh, ya wanna eat lunch with me? I mean, I'm sure it's preferable to sitting with a guy with dry paint in his hair!"

Heidi grumbled and yanked her arm out of his grasp. "Give it up, Eric!" She snapped. "It's over between us! Can you fucking stop?" Not even allowing him to respond, she stormed off.

Cartman watched her go, a look of confused annoyance on his face. "Bitch," He muttered after a few moments before slowly slinking off.

* * *

Some time after school ended, Kyle and Nichole met up at Denny's. The pair took a seat in the center of the restaurant.

"So, uh, you nervous?" Nichole asked Kyle after the two had finished ordering their foot.

"Nah, the food here is usually good," Kyle replied, before realizing what Nichole actually meant. "Oh! You mean about the video? Uh, not too much."

"I know you're not in the video, but they are letting you make that big speech before they show it to our parents tomorrow afternoon," Nichole said. "Do you know what you're gonna say?"

"I'm usually good at making them up on the fly, ya know," Kyle replied. "I'll improvise."

An awkward silence ensued. Eventually, Nichole noticed how unfocused Kyle looked and said, "Is something wrong?"

"I dunno," Kyle said, scanning the area. "It's just. . . I can't help but feel like we're being spied on."

"What makes you think that?" Nichole asked.

A few meters away, Stan quickly pulled the menu over his face to avoid Kyle seeing him. "Shit," He whispered under his breath.

"Stan, what are you staring at?" Wendy asked, sitting in front of him.

"It's nothing," Stan replied hastily. "I was just. . . I was wondering if our student of the day was ready to order. Right, Heidi?"

Next to him, Heidi shrugged. "Um, I guess," She said. "I gotta say, it's great that you two decided to take me out for the evening. I was kinda worried there was still some hard feelings between us."

"Oh, I can never hold a grudge," Stan replied. Then, he lowered the menu to continue staring at Kyle and Nichole a distance away.

_What the Hell are they talking about? _He thought to himself.

At their table, Kyle eventually said, "So, uh, how have you been feeling ever since you split off with Token? I mean, he was pretty broken up about it. . ."

Nichole's face fell. "It was hard," She said, rubbing the back of her neck. "He was a really great guy. But I just had to stand with my girl friends, you know."

"You think you're ever gonna speak to him again?" Kyle asked.

"Maybe," Nichole said. "Perhaps when things aren't quite as tense at school. Why'd you ask?"

At that, Kyle furrowed his eyebrows. "Oh, I dunno," He replied, shifting his eyes around the restaurant. "Why are _all_ of our classmates listening in on us right now?"

Immediately, several of the other patrons, all of them school-aged, jerked their heads away from the two and pretended to focus on their food or menus. "Don't mind us," Clyde called out to Kyle as he sat with his gang. "We're definitely not listening in on you right now."

"I thought that was why we went to this restaurant in the first place?" Butters asked. Craig responded by slapping a hand over his mouth.

Kyle grumbled, shrinking into his seat. "Just ignore them," Nichole whispered to him, and sat up as the waiter delivered their food. The two began to eat, trying to ignore the dozens of eyes observing them.

"I don't get it," Bebe whispered to Red. "Are. . . are they _dating_? Are we allowed to do that again?"

A short distance away, Heidi tensed up at those words. Stan just continued to eye the pair, one eyebrow raised. Wendy mostly ignored them, focusing on eating her food.

"Kyle's never went to dinner with any one person before," Clyde mentioned. "What's going on with him?"

"Dude, shut up," Craig hissed. "He's gonna hear us."

Nearby, Kyle's hand tightened around his fork. As much as he tried, it was becoming hard to block out the whispers happening all around him.

"I can't believe he's going to dinner with my ex-girlfriend," Token whispered to his friends. "What is his game here?"

"The real question is what is Nichole doing?" Clyde replied. "If I recall, she had a crush on Kyle before you. You think she's come full-circle?"

Abruptly, Kyle dropped the fork. "Alright, that's it," He said, getting out of his seat. "I can't listen to this anymore." Scooting out of his chair, he rushed to the exit, his shoulders bunched up and his head lowered. Nichole opened her mouth to call him back, but decided against it.

"Ah, shit!" Stan whispered, jumping out of his chair. "Kyle, wait!" He rushed after him, ignoring Wendy calling out to him.

After some hesitation, the other boys followed.

* * *

"Kyle stop!" Stan called out to Kyle once they were outside. "Wait up! What's wrong?"

Kyle rolled his eyes and turned back around to face him. "What's wrong?" He asked. "Here's a better question: why is me hanging out with Nichole such a big deal?"

Stan didn't initially respond, allowing the other boys to catch up. "It's not a big deal," Craig said. "It's just kind of weird that you're spending so much time with a girl. You two aren't dating, are you?"

_"No!" _Kyle shouted. "We're friends! And even if we were, that doesn't give you the right to stand around, whispering about us behind our backs!"

"When have you and Nichole been friends?" Clyde asked. "You two barely talked to each other until recently."

"It's none of your business," Kyle retorted harshly.

"Um, it kind of is my business," Stan said. "I mean, we're best friends, right? Who you hang out with technically concerns me, too."

"I'm allowed to hang out with other people, aren't I?" Kyle said. "Just because you're not their friend doesn't mean I can't be."

"Well what is it about her that we don't get, then?" Butters asked. "Why are you friends with her and we aren't?"

"Because you don't talk to her!" Kyle half-shouted in frustration. "If you got to know her, maybe you'd see what I see in her!"

"Well what _do _you see in her?" Stan hurled back.

"That she's a great person!" Kyle snapped. "That she's fun to talk to! That hugging her feels like hugging a marshmallow and a pillow at once! And that she makes me feel good when I'm down!"

He stopped shouting to catch his breath. His face was beat red and he was heaving heavily. The other boys stared at him, surprised.

". . . Are we not those things to you?" Butters asked after a long silence.

"What?" Kyle asked. "No. . . I mean, yes! I mean. . . it's complicated, okay? Where did you even get that idea?"

"Okay dude, I'm gonna be blunt," Stan said. "Do you like Nichole more than us?"

Kyle blinked once. "Don't ask stupid questions," He replied.

"It's not a stupid question," Clyde said. "Do you?"

"It's not a competition, you guys," Kyle tried to reassure them. "I like all of you, for different reasons."

Another silence ensued. "So. . . you _do _like Nichole more?" Craig asked for clarity.

Kyle stared at his friends, a blank expression on his face. Not even bothering to answer, he walked past them to rejoin Nichole in the restaurant, but Stan grabbed his arm.

"Come on, Kyle, you can't be serious about this!" He said, jerking him back. "What the hell makes her 'number two'? Unless she's number _one_, now? Is she?"

Kyle stared at Stan, a shocked expression on his face.

Then, the twitching in his eye started. Followed by everything in his vision growing red. A low growl escaped his lips.

_"Don't touch me!" _He shouted, wrenching himself out of Stan's grip so hard he nearly knocked him to the ground. Stan stumbled backwards, stunned and a little taken aback by Kyle's sudden outburst. The other boys flinched in response as well.

Kyle stared at them, an angry look in his eyes. He didn't notice some of the other kids peering out of the restaurant door, watching him. Including Heidi.

Slowly, Kyle closed his eyes and inhaled. When he opened them, his vision had returned to normal.

"Look," He whispered, as calm as he could be. "Nichole is the best thing that's happened to me in a while. I don't know why, but something about her makes me feel really good. So for the love of God, don't screw this up for me."

There was a tense silence, and Kyle added, under his breath, "Please."

None of the boys responded, including Stan. They just watched on as Kyle sighed and walked back to the restaurant, his head low, not acknowledging the other kids as he returned to Nichole to continue their dinner.

* * *

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	19. A Jew's Prayer

_South Down: You haven't seen anything yet._

_Dragon Slaer: Maybe._

_Nicole980: Poor boy indeed._

* * *

Later that night, Stan stopped by Wendy's house for one quick visit.

"So Wendy, you ready for tomorrow afternoon?" He asked, an exhausted tone in his voice. "You know, when the video gets shown to all our parents in the gymnasium?"

"I've handled worse," Wendy replied, studying her homework. "It's just an educational video that'll get people's attention. Besides, our fundraiser is already doing far better than our last one, so it's nothing to be too concerned about."

Stan nodded softly, then sighed and trailed off. Noticing Stan's sour mood, Wendy took her eyes off her homework and turned around to face him. "Stan, what's wrong?" She asked him. "Ever since you became vice president, you've been acting weird."

"Eh," Stan said, shifting his eyes. "I just. . . I don't know why Kyle's suddenly gotten so attached to Nichole lately. He barely does anything now unless Nichole wants him to."

"Oh," Wendy said, pausing briefly. "Well, you know, they did have feelings for each other once."

"Yeah, but that was a long time ago," Stan replied. "Why would they be resurfacing now?"

"Did you ask him?" Wendy suggested.

"Yeah, but he was pretty vague about it," Stan replied. "I just don't know what's so special about her. I mean, I know I'm a better friend than any of the girls."

Wendy blinked once. "What's that supposed to mean?" She asked, a little offended.

"Well, no offence Wendy, but you guys did screw up royally with Heidi," Stan pointed out. "Why else would she go back to Cartman and then turn into his carbon copy?"

"W-What?" Wendy asked, a baffled look on her face. "I, uh. . . we made a mistake."

"You make a mistake on your homework," Stan retorted. "I mean, seriously, you and Heidi have been friends for years. Don't you know anything about her? Shouldn't you have seen that coming?"

". . . I don't have a time for this," Wendy said, turning back around to continue doing her homework, her shoulders bunched up.

"Yeah, me neither," Stan replied. "Well, I'm sure there's some reason for why Kyle's acting like this, but for the life of me, I don't see it. See you tomorrow then, Wendy."

"Yeah, you too," Wendy said softly, not even bothering to turn around as Stan exited her room, shutting the door behind him.

* * *

After saying goodbye to Nichole following dinner, Kyle returned home and spent the remaining few hours on the fundraiser website, seeing how many donations had been sent in. The numbers were good, and they were going up by the minute, which gave him a sense of relief.

However, a sense of anxiety washed over him as he remembered that tomorrow afternoon, the video, finally completed, would make its debut. He still wasn't quite sure how good it was; if it wasn't good, how could it get its message across?

_I guess I'll find out tomorrow, _he thought to himself.

As midnight approached, Kyle prepared to go to bed. Before he did, though, he got down onto his knees and knelt against the side of his bed, his hands cupped together.

"Um, hello?" He said, a nervous expression on his face. "I don't know if you have the time to listen to this, but. . . I just have some things I want to say."

Silence ensued. Kyle took a deep breath before continuing.

"I ask for nothing for myself, since I know I shouldn't ask for more than I deserve," He said softly. "But can I please ask for the people in my life? I want Stan to succeed as student body vice president and do a good job. And for Tweek to get the help he deserves for his anxiety. And for the boys and girls to get along again, because they don't deserve to be fighting over something that's not their fault."

He took another breath, then went on.

"And Nichole," He said. "She's a great girl and she deserves nothing but good things. Please don't let what happened to me happen to her. _Please_ don't let her turn out like me."

He paused for a moment. He considered ending it right there, but decided to add one more thing.

"Um, there's something else," He whispered. "I'm afraid that there may be a. . . dark part of me. Everyone has a darkness in them, but sometimes I feel like the darkness in me is worse than in other people. And when it gets out, people get hurt. People I care about. And lately, I've been feeling it more and more."

He took a deep heave. "Look, I try not to let my emotions drive my actions; when I do, bad things happen. But I don't know if I can keep doing it alone. Please, can you help me rein it in? I don't want anyone else to get hurt because of me."

After a pause, he repeated, "Please."

For a few moments, he simply knelt there, letting the silence wash over him.

Eventually, he pulled himself into bed, and closed his eyes as he fell asleep.

* * *

_**Kyle. . . **_

Kyle winced in his sleep as he heard his name whispered. His eyes still closed, he readjusted himself in his bed, trying to find a more comfortable spot.

_**You're in pain, aren't you, Kyle? **_The voice said to him.

_Um. . . I guess, _he thought. _But I'm dealing with it._

**_Yes, you are, _**the voice said.**_ But you're not quite there yet. There's something else you should do._**

_And what's that? _Kyle asked in his dream.

_**Get rid of them.**_

Kyle's shoulders bunched up and he flinched. _W-What are you talking about? _He asked, confused.

_**You heard me, **_the voice in his subconscious said. _**The people who hurt you, manipulated you, pushed you over the edge. You should get rid of them. Especially Eric Cartman.**_

"What?" Kyle said, speaking aloud in his sleep. Tossing a bit in his bed, he whispered, "No, I can't. . . no."

_**Look what they made you do. The people that died because of you. You don't want that to happen again, do you? You should make sure it doesn't.**_

"No, there's no one to blame for that but myself," Kyle denied. "It was my fault it happened. I let my anger get the best of me."

_**Your problem was that you directed your anger at the wrong source. This time, direct that fire at the ones who deserve it. Make them pay.**_

"That won't help anything," Kyle said, squeezing his eyes shut. "It'll just make things worse."

_**You'll never truly be free unless they're gone. Unless **_**he's _gone. Don't you wanna be free, Kyle? Free of the guilt, the torment?_**

"No," Kyle said, gritting his teeth as he continued tossing and turning. "No! Shut up! SHUT UP!"

Springing out of bed, Kyle had to catch himself to keep from falling. His heart beat was racing and sweat was pouring down his forehead and neck. He breathed heavily, trying desperately to bring his heartbeat down to normal. Looking around, he saw that he was back in his room, alone.

After a few moments, Kyle curled up into a ball and lay back down into bed, still feeling the chills running down his spine as he heard the voice echo in his head.

_**Don't you wanna be free, Kyle?**_

* * *

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	20. A Poor Decision

_South Down: Kyle's subconscious._

_Enclave boi: What?_

_Nicole980: Nothing to say._

_Dragon Slaer: Agreed._

* * *

During school the following day, all anyone could talk about was the upcoming presentation that very afternoon, before the video would be uploaded on the internet. Everyone was anxious, especially the people who were featured within the video. But nobody was more nervous than Kyle.

The stress of organizing everything, while simultaneously putting up with Cartman's antics, had been bad enough. But what was even worse was whenever he lost control, like he had last night. He still got shivers just thinking about it.

A part of him feared he might hurt someone. Even if that person was Cartman, he couldn't bare to let his emotions, his fury, take control and drive his actions, especially knowing the damage it could cause. He only hoped after the fundraiser truly took off and he no longer had to deal with Cartman's meddling, those feelings would fade.

Hopefully.

"Are you excited?" Kyle heard Butters ask him as they sat in the cafeteria, taking him out of his thoughts. "About tonight?"

"Yeah, I guess," Kyle muttered. Truthfully, he couldn't help but find Butters' presence kind of irritating. He knew it wasn't Butters fault; it was just with his current state, he couldn't bare him like he usually could. Heck, most things were becoming more unbearable to him.

"You nervous?" Butters asked.

"A little," Kyle admitted. "Especially since I'm giving the opening presentation. But I think I can handle it. As long as I know my friends are watching and supporting me. You, Token, Stan. . ."

Stan, staring at his food and seemingly ignoring the conversation, couldn't help but crack a smile.

". . . Nichole. . ."

And just like that, it was gone.

"Overall, I'll be okay," Kyle reassured them. "Are you guys fine?"

The other boys muttered out "Yes" and "Sure", while Stan just continued to stare at his food. When he finally looked up, though, he noticed Kyle was facing him, a gloomy look in his eyes. He was about to question why Kyle seemed mad at him when he felt someone tap him on the shoulder.

"Hey Stan?" A voice from behind him said, which Stan immediately recognized as Heidi. Turning around, he noticed her staring at him, a blank look on her face.

". . . Yes?" He asked.

There was a pause, and Heidi said, "Can we talk? Alone?"

Stan raised an eyebrow, but when he saw the pleading look in Heidi's eyes, he let out a sigh and said, "Fine." Scooting off his seat, he followed Heidi out of the cafeteria. Kyle watched them go, an uncomfortable look on his face, but eventually went back to eating.

* * *

When lunch had ended, Kyle met up with Nichole as they were exiting the cafeteria.

"Hey Nichole, you excited about this afternoon?" He asked, trying to sound enthusiastic.

"Yeah, I can't wait to see the video you created," Nichole said to him. "I'm sure you did a good job."

"Yeah," Kyle whispered. "I kinda just want it to be over with. I guess I'll see you soon, then."

"Sure," Nichole said, smiling. Giving a grateful smile in return, Kyle turned and headed off down the hallway. Nichole watched him leave, and her smile turned to a frown. She was about to turn and head off, but froze when she saw Stan standing in front of her, his face blank.

"Oh. . . hey, Stan," Nichole said, ready to turn around and leave.

"Um Nichole, there's something I wanted to talk to you about," Stan said, his face emotionless, but his voice somewhat queasy. "But could we do it alone?"

Nichole raised an eyebrow. "Um. . . I guess," She said, confused. "I mean, I gotta get to class, though. . ."

"Not now," Stan reassured her. "Later on, at the abandoned barn on the edge of town. Not too far away from here. Come at, perhaps, 5:30?"

"5:30?" Nichole asked, confused. "But the presentation will start like half an hour from then."

"It'll be quick, I swear," Stan told her. "It's just really important."

Nichole let out a groan as she considered things, her eyes trailing off. Eventually, she locked eyes with Stan and whispered, "Actually. . . there _is _something I think we should talk about. . ."

"Great!" Stan exclaimed, cutting her off with a smile. "Then I guess I'll meet you at the barn then. No rush."

"Yeah. . ." Nichole mumbled, before slowly walking off.

Stan watched her go. As he did, his grin faded and he felt a shudder run up his spine.

He hoped to God this wouldn't end badly.

* * *

After school ended, the hours leading up to the presentation went by slowly. All anyone could think about was whether the fundraiser would continue being a success, or if something would screw it up.

There was a lot on everyone's minds, but especially Nichole's. She couldn't help but wonder why Stan wanted to talk to her, and at the abandoned barn of all places. She almost didn't go - she didn't want to afford missing the presentation - but she told herself that Stan was Kyle's best friend, and not only that, but the student body vice president. He'd be the last person who'd want to miss out on the presentation.

Eventually, with only about a half hour to spare, give or take, Nichole headed out to the barn to just get it over with. Besides, there actually was something she felt Stan should know about, if he was willing to listen.

After a while, she saw the barn come into view, and at the entrance was Stan. Though he was too far away for her to see clearly his expression, she thought she could make out a look of relief wash over his face as he saw her arrive.

"Oh thank God, I was beginning to worry you wouldn't show up," He called out to her.

Nichole folded her arms as she came to a stop. "Well, I'm here," She said. "Now what?"

"Come on," Stan said, vanishing into the barn before she could respond. Humming slightly, Nichole followed him in.

It was dark inside the barn. Nichole had to rely more on hearing than sight, listening to the sound of Stan's footsteps heading up the stairs. She followed him up, nearly tripping a few times as she navigated her way up after him.

At the top, Nichole found herself in the barn's attic. It was even darker there, and now she could barely make out anything. Worse, the footsteps had ceased.

"Stan?" She called out, looking around. "Where are you?"

She got no reply.

"Stan, I want to talk to you about Kyle," Nichole went on, hoping that would get some response. "There's something about him that I don't know if you're aware of, but you need to know."

Once again, she got no reply.

Furrowing her eyebrows, Nichole called out, "Stan where are you?" When she, once again, got no answer, she turned around and went for the door, wondering if Stan was in another part of the attic.

As she gripped the door handle, though, she was surprised when it didn't budge. She gripped it harder and shook it, but the door didn't open.

"Hey, what's going on?" Nichole asked as she turned the handle, trying to get it to open, to no avail. "Stan, where are you? Stan?!"

She got no answer.

"Stan, are you there?! Stan?! _Stan_?!"

* * *

At South Park Elementary, the students and their parents were all heading to the school for the video's presentation. Kyle stood at the entrance, having got their early. He surveyed everyone as they entered the building, recognizing many faces, but it didn't escape him that someone was missing.

"Where is Nichole?" He wondered to himself, feeling kind of antsy as more and more people arrived. "What is she doing?"

As Red approached with her father, Kyle rushed over and said, "Hey, have you seen Nichole?"

"No," Red replied. "I never saw her. Maybe she's just late."

Kyle backed away, hoping she was right.

"Hey Kyle, you ready for the presentation?" Butters called out to him, making him jump. "Sure am excited for that speech you're gonna give!"

"Um, me too," Kyle said, even if he was feeling less than elated.

As his classmates entered, Kyle also began to wonder where Stan was. Wendy was there, and even Randy and Sharon had shown up, but Stan was nowhere to be seen.

Just as he was about to ask where he was, he saw Stan rushing over to the school's entrance, calling out, "Hey Kyle! Hope I'm not late!"

"No, you're not late," Kyle reassured him. He noticed that Stan had an anxious look on his face, and said, "Is everything alright?"

"Of course it is," Stan replied. "Why wouldn't it be?"

"Um," Kyle said, looking down. "You see, Nichole hasn't shown up, and I'm wondering where she is. She said she'd be here."

Stan winced slightly, but said, "Well, you know, maybe Nichole has other places to be. I'm sure she wanted to show up, but just had other things to do."

"But she said she'd-"

"Things happen," Stan interrupted. "Stuff interferes, things don't always go according to plan. Something more important might of come up, so she just couldn't make it."

Kyle's face was blank. "Oh," Was all he said, a soft whisper.

Stan groaned slightly, but placed a hand on Kyle's shoulder. "Hey, me and the guys are all here, at least," He reassured him. "Don't worry; we'll be watching and supporting you all the way, okay?"

"Um. . . okay," Kyle replied softly, nodding.

With Stan still gripping his shoulder, the two slowly headed inside the building.

* * *

_The abandoned barn is from "Ginger Kids", when Stan and Kyle are trying to escape the gingers._

_Read and review._


	21. A Fatal Mistake

_Dragon Slaer: Like he did in Mystery of the Urinal Deuce solely to hide that he crapped in the urinal?_

_Nicole980: Hold onto that feeling._

_South Down: What the Hell indeed?_

_Himler: Maybe._

_Autumnmist93: He didn't put a lot of thought into it, if it wasn't obvious._

* * *

Nichole had since given up trying to open the door, realizing that it had been locked and Stan was gone. She was totally alone. She would've used her phone to call for help, except she'd been an _idiot _and forgotten to bring it in the rush to leave. Instead, she simply sat against the wooden wall, not wanting to waste her energy trying to escape without a plan.

As she sat alone, she wondered what to do. Should she find a way to get the door open? Or simply wait for someone to find her? People were bound to notice she was missing eventually, and she doubted Stan was planning to keep her locked up in there forever, even if she didn't know why he'd trapped her there in the first place. She considered trying to find a way to escape through the attic window, but she wasn't sure how to make it down without seriously hurting herself.

Silently, she chastised herself for having fallen for such an obvious trick. She should've known Stan had been up to something. Why else would he lead her into an abandoned barn. She'd just expected better from Kyle's best friend. It broke her heart thinking of how Kyle would react when he found out what happened.

She was snapped out of her thoughts by the sound of something heavy being thrown onto the ground outside. Springing to her feet, she turned to face the door as it began to creak open. For a moment, she wondered if Stan had come back for her.

When the door was opened, Nichole saw that it wasn't Stan, but she was relieved nonetheless. "Heidi?" She whispered in surprise. "How did you-"

"I noticed you enter the barn," Heidi said to her as she stood by the door. "When Stan left but you didn't, I was suspicious, so I went inside."

"Oh," Nichole whispered.

"Come on, the presentation has probably started by now," Heidi said to her. "You don't want Kyle to get worried, do you?"

"Of course not," Nichole said as she followed Heidi outside. "I'm just glad you got here in time."

Heidi managed an awkward smile as she guided Nichole down the stairs and towards the exit of the barn. They were just about to leave, but stopped in their tracks when they heard a low growling sound coming from the woods.

"What's that?" Nichole whispered, any relief over being free instantly vanishing.

"I. . . don't know," Heidi admitted, gripping Nichole's hand tightly. The two girls scanned the area as the growling seemed to grow louder, as if whatever was causing it was getting closer.

"I think we should run," Heidi whispered, clearly getting nervous. Nichole was about to argue, but then she saw it.

Hidden in the darkness of the woods was a long row of sharp teeth, dripping with drool. A pair of yellow eyes was watching the two girls as they stood at the entrance of the barn. Nichole nudged Heidi, causing her to see the eyes and fangs, too. Immediately, the two went silent.

The figure moved out of the shadows, revealing a large, snarling feral pit bull. It eyed the two girls, growling ferociously.

Heidi let out a choked gasp. Nichole was silent, panic welling up inside her.

For a moment, Nichole considered the two making a break for it. However, from the distance the dog was, there was no way they would both get away. One of them was bound to get caught.

Before she could weigh her options further, the dog barked loudly and charged at them. Immediately, Nichole yanked Heidi back inside the barn and shut the door, seconds before the dog reached them.

The two girls pressed themselves against the wall, feeling the dog scratching and pounding on the other end. They could feel the old wood being chipped away by the dog's teeth and claws.

"What are we gonna do?" Heidi asked, huddled close to Nichole as the felt the dog ram into the door once more.

Nichole herself could hardly think straight in the tense situation.

However, after a few moments, she had an idea.

* * *

Kyle could feel the panic welling up in his chest as he faced the crowd of parents and schoolmates sitting in front of him in the gymnasium, preparing to present the completed video. He recognized so many faces, except the one he wanted to see the most.

He still didn't know why Nichole had shown up. He guessed that perhaps Stan had been right, maybe she did have something more important that caused her to not be able to show up, but surely she would have at least called him to let him know. As is, he felt a sense of anxiety now that he didn't have her to support him.

In the crowd, he could see Stan watching him. When he saw Kyle looking at him, he smiled and gave a thumbs up. That gave Kyle some reassurance. If Nichole wasn't here, at least Stan could get him through this.

Finally, he decided to just get it over with. "Hello, everyone," He said to the audience. "As all of you know. . . a lot of damage has been done to our neighbors in Canada. We've started a fundraiser at this school in the hopes of getting more people to care and minimize the damage, if only by a little. So, we've created a video to help shed light on on what everyone can do to help. Thank you."

The crowd clapped, and Kyle hurriedly rushed to take his seat next to his family. "That was a very nice, speech, Kyle," Sheila complimented him.

Kyle shrugged slightly, and instead faced the front as the video began to play on the large projector.

_"Hello, America," _Tweek said as his face appeared on the screen. _"Over in Canada, millions of people are in desperate need of our help. Over a million are dead, but even those who have survived are in danger."_

As he faded away from the screen, he was replaced by Ashley. _"Millions more people have been left without homes due to the catastrophic property damage and are currently on the streets."_

Kyle winced. Even though he'd wrote the lines, he couldn't help but feel uncomfortable being reminded of the ramifications of his actions.

_"And the radiation from the nuclear attack is continuing to cause damage to the people living there," _Token added in the video. _"If left unchecked, it could continue to affect the survivors for decades to come."_

Kyle began to squirm in his seat. _Come on, I can get through this, _he thought to himself.

_"However, here's how you can help make a difference," _Craig was saying in the video.

Suddenly, his phone started ringing in his jeans. A few heads turned in his direction, and Kyle muttered a curse word before excusing himself from the audience and exiting the gymnasium.

"Who the Hell could be calling me at this time?" He wondered aloud as he picked up his iPhone and stared at the screen. He raised an eyebrow when he saw the call was coming from Heidi. Only now did he realize that she also hadn't shown up for the presentation.

For a moment, he considered rejecting the call, but out of curiosity, he answered it. "How did you get my number?" Was the first thing he asked.

He winced when he heard Nichole's voice shouting at him on the other end. "Kyle, you have to get help!" She shouted. "We're in danger!"

"Nichole?!" He exclaimed, shocked. "What are you-" He was cut off by the sounds of barking and scraping coming from the other end.

"Me and Heidi are at the abandoned barn!" Nichole explained, her voice filled with urgency. "We're trapped and we're being attacked by a large dog! You have to warn the others at the presentation!"

"Oh shit!" Kyle exclaimed. "Don't worry, I'll get there as soon as I can!"

"No!" Nichole exclaimed. "You have to get an-"

Kyle didn't let her finish. Ending the call, he quickly hurried down the hallway, desperate to make it to the barn before Nichole got hurt.

Or worse.

* * *

"Stan, what is this about?" Wendy asked as she followed Stan out behind the school. Shortly after Kyle himself had left the gymnasium, Stan had also excused himself and taken Wendy outside.

Stan groaned. "Look, I think I've made a huge mistake," He said guiltily. "I wasn't really thinking, but I. . . ugh. . ."

"Stan, what did you do?" Wendy asked, squinting her eyes.

"It's about Kyle," He admitted. "I did something, which I think hurt him a great deal, and I don't know if I should tell him or not. Earlier today, Heidi came to me, and-"

He was cut off when, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kyle rushing towards the school exit a distance away, carrying Craig's bicycle. "Kyle!" He called out to him, causing Wendy to turn and notice him as well. "Where are you going?"

Kyle stopped in his tracks. "I got a call from Nichole," He explained quickly. "She says she and Heidi are trapped at the abandoned barn, and they're getting attacked by a dog! I have to go help her!"

"Dog?" Stan said, his eyes widening. "Oh. . . shit."

"We'll come with you," Wendy offered.

Kyle stared at Wendy for a few moments. "No," He said harshly. "No, I am not putting my trust in any of you girls."

"Hey, Nichole is my friend!" Wendy exclaimed. "If she's in trouble, I'm gonna save her!"

"Yeah, and I've seen how good you are at helping your 'friends'-" Kyle made air quotes at the word 'friends' "-When they're in need. Now if you'll excuse me, _I'll _go help her before someone else comes and screws it up!"

Wendy stared at Kyle blankly. Nearby, Stan said, "You know, I'm sensing a lot of pent-up resentment, here."

Kyle groaned and began to jump onto his bike, but Stan called out, "No, seriously Kyle, I have to come and help!"

"I don't have time for this!" Kyle shouted at him. "The longer I stay here, the more danger Nichole is in!"

"Dammit, why does every bad decision we make always escalate into something huge?!" Stan unexpectedly blurted out.

"What the Hell is that supposed to mean?" Kyle asked, baffled.

Stan shut his eyes, realizing what he'd just said. "Shit," He whispered. "Okay, don't take this the wrong way. . . but this might of, sort of, is my fault."

The silence that ensued was so tense the sound of a pin dropping could be heard. ". . . What?" Kyle whispered, all the color drained from his face.

Stan groaned. "Okay, remember when Heidi came up to me?" He said, pinching his nose. "Well, she said she'd noticed how uncomfortable I was with you being around Nichole. And she suggested that. . . Kyle?"

Kyle only backed away from him, a look of utter disbelief on his face as he quickly put the pieces together. He shook his head slightly as his shocked expression changed to disgust, and he quickly jumped onto the bicycle of road off.

"Kyle?" Stan called out to him. "Kyle?!"

Kyle didn't respond; he didn't even look back. He just continued riding, hiding the tears beginning to spring from his eyes.

* * *

"This door won't hold much longer!" Heidi said to Nichole as the two girls attempted to barricade it with whatever they could find. Unfortunately for them, there wasn't much in the barn they could use, and the door was slowly being chipped away.

"What else can we do?" Nichole asked. They couldn't go back upstairs; that would only leave them more trapped when the dog got inside.

Suddenly, the barking and ramming on the door stopped. A tense silence filled the air, and the two girls froze, wondering what had happened to the dog.

"Did it. . . leave?" Heidi asked. Nichole shrugged, locking eyes with her. She hoped that was case, that it had simply lost interest and left.

_CRASH!_

The two girls jumped as, without warning, the dog smashed through one of the broken windows. It landed on the ground a few feet away from them, its fanged teeth dripping with drool as it landed its yellow eyes on them.

"Crap," Heidi whispered.

"Come on!" Nichole called out, grabbing Heidi and pulled her towards the door. The dog lunged, missing them by a few inches, and collapsed onto the ground.

Removing the barricades, Nichole and Heidi raced out of the barn. However, the dog was quick to pursue them, lunging towards them and snatching Heidi's coat in its jaws. Heidi screamed as the dog forced her to the ground, yanking Nichole down with her.

Heidi struggled in the dog's grip as it tore at her jacket. A lucky kick sent it flying a couple feet away, but in moments, it was back on its feet. It raced towards the girls, who only shielded themselves with their arms as it approached.

_THWACK!_

Suddenly, the dog was whacked in the face by a large tree branch, sending it flying away. Stunned, Nichole looked up, and her eyes widened when she saw Kyle, his face red as he held onto the branch like a bat.

"Kyle?" Heidi choked out.

"Get out of here!" Kyle shouted to them. "I'll hold it off!"

Before any of them could argue, the dog lunged at Kyle, snapping its jaws close to his chest. He only barely avoided it, nearly stumbling onto the ground, but managing to regain his footing. He swung the branch at the dog, keeping it a distance away. Nearby, Nichole and Heidi got to their feet and scrambled away.

The dog continued snapping at Kyle, trying to bite at the branch. Kyle dodged it and struck the dog on the snout, causing it to recoil slightly. Kyle hissed, standing on his toes to try and intimidate it, but the dog only lunged, grabbing him by the coat and hurling him to the side. He collapsed onto the ground, the branch falling out of reach.

Kyle struggled to get up, but the dog was on him in seconds, its large jaws edging close to his throat. Before it could strike, however, it was struck by a large rock thrown by Nichole.

"Get away from him!" She shouted as she and Heidi hurled rocks and twigs at it. The dog turned towards them, barking angrily, while Kyle scrambled away.

Fast as lightning, the dog lunged for the girls, who rushed towards a tree and climbed up to escape it. The dog snapped its jaws up at them, only for Kyle, once again holding the branch, to slam into it, sending them both tumbling onto the ground.

Kyle got to his feet quickly and turned to face the dog, which recovered as well and turned to face him. It made a quick bite at his leg, but Kyle managed to dodge its jaws in time. The attack left the dog open, and Kyle struck it in the side, sending it tumbling several feet away.

As Nichole and Heidi jumped down from the tree towards Kyle, the dog got up, blood dripping from its jaws. Kyle faced it, holding the branch tightly in his fists. Nichole and Heidi stood behind him, all three of them trembling.

With one final burst of energy, the dog lunged for the three. As it did, Kyle prepared to take another swing.

_BANG!_

The three kids jumped as the sound of a bullet filled their ears. Before they knew what had happened, the dog was lying on the ground, blood streaming from its head.

Kyle's eyes were wild as he whirled around, trying to find the source of the gunshot. Eventually, his eyes landed on none other than Stan's Uncle Jimbo, a rifle in his hands. A few of the other adults and his schoolmates were there, including Stan and Wendy.

Nichole's parents rushed out of the small crowd. "Nichole!" They shouted, rushing over to the three and scooping up their daughter in their arms.

Kyle was breathing heavily as the branch slipped out of his fingers. He glanced up at Nichole and her parents, then to the dead dog lying a few feet away, and finally, at Stan.

When they locked eyes, Kyle saw a look of insurmountable guilt cross Stan's face.

As if reading each other's minds, they both looked away.

* * *

_Read and review._


	22. Alone

_vh1660924: Stan and Kyle didn't really get into fights that often in the old days. If anything, they fight more now._

_Nicole980: He's probably asking himself the same thing._

* * *

For the next half hour, Stan mentally swore to himself as he began to fully comprehend what he'd just done.

Kyle, Nichole and Heidi were covered in blankets. Nichole was shaking uncomfortably; Heidi sat still a distance away, a look of regret plastered on her face. Kyle, on the other hand, had a blank, utterly emotionless expression. His mouth was a thin line and his eyes were wide open, as if he, too, was trying to come to terms with what he'd experienced.

Stan kind of wondered why Kyle looked so freaked out. Granted, nearly getting mauled by a dog was hardly a pleasant experience, but it was far from the most traumatizing incident any of them had gone through. And Stan had at least warned the grownups in the school in time (it was perhaps lucky that Uncle Jimbo always carried his shotgun with him), so none of them were seriously hurt.

Then again, it occurred to Stan that perhaps the dog wasn't why Kyle seemed so spooked.

Nichole, still shaking, was being comforted by her parents, who had arrived as soon as they heard what had happened. Kyle, surrounded by his own parents, abruptly tore away from them and hurried over to her, nearly tripping over his own feet as he walked.

Practically collapsing onto Nichole, Kyle held her tightly as he began to utter a flurry of "I'm sorry,", over and over again, a genuinely pleading tone in his voice.

"Kyle-" Nichole whispered, awkwardly returning the hug.

"I'm so sorry," Kyle interrupted, his eyes still wide and stricken with shock. "This is my fault. I almost got you killed. I'm sorry."

"No, you saved me," Nichole protested.

Stan couldn't help but feel his skin crawl. How the Hell could Kyle blame _himself _for this?

"Wait, no," He said, rushing up to them. "It's my fault for this."

Stan immediately flinched when both Kyle and Nichole turned towards him, and their eyes narrowed. Neither of them said a word, but their expression spoke volumes.

"Look, it wasn't supposed to end up like this," Stan said, even though he knew it wasn't a satisfactory explanation. "I was going to come back for you as soon as the presentation was over. Heck, I was thinking of going back during it. I just-"

"Why?" Kyle asked, his hardened expression shifting to a pleading one. He looked genuinely lost, confused as to why Stan would do this.

"I dunno," Stan replied, shrugging. "I just. . . I wanted this presentation to be about us. That you'd know that I was there, supporting you all the way. . ."

"And you didn't think about what would happen after you freed Nichole?" Kyle asked. "What, did you think she wouldn't tell anyone what happened once she got out?"

"I wasn't really thinking that far. . ." Stan admitted.

_I wasn't thinking at all, _he thought to himself.

"What made you do this?" Nichole asked Stan angrily. "Did you even think about how Kyle would feel? Why would you-"

"Hey, leave him alone!" A voice blurted out from behind them. "It's not all his fault!"

Now their eyes turned to Heidi, the blanket still curled around her. Instantly, Kyle's eyes darkened as Heidi reluctantly approached them, while Nichole's jaw dropped open. Stan winced. He'd been trying to avoid revealing her involvement.

Heidi looked like she was struggling to find the right words to say. "Okay, look," She said, raising her hands as if in defence. "It's true, Stan was the one who locked Nichole in the building. But he wouldn't have done it if. . . if I hadn't told him to."

Nichole gasped. Even Kyle looked stunned. "Why?" He asked, feeling his hands curl into fists.

Heidi rubbed the back of her head. "I. . . I thought if I freed her you would forgive me," She eventually spat out.

Kyle's face was blank for a few moments. Slowly, he released Nichole and turned away from both Stan and Heidi. His shoulders bunched up and a soft noise began to escape his lips. For a few moments, the others thought he was crying.

Then the noise grew, and they realized, to their shock, that he was _laughing._

"Oh, that's rich!" He said in between his laughing. "It's just so freaking funny!"

Stan, Heidi and Nichole exchanged confused glances. "Huh?" Stan said.

Kyle finally turned to face them, allowing them to see tears streaming down his face. "It's just. . . you sound _exactly _like I did not too long ago," He explained, still laugh-crying. "I was in your shoes not too long ago. It's almost uncanny how things _never _freaking change! No matter how many times these things keep happening, it's like we never fucking learn! None of us!"

"Kyle-" Heidi said, reaching forward.

"Get away from me!" He shouted, recoiling from her, any sense of humour, faux or not, completely gone from him.

Instantly, his parents were there to hold him close. "Kyle!" Sheila exclaimed as she hugged him. Glancing up to stare at Heidi, she narrowed her eyes and hissed out, "You! How many times do I have to tell your parents to keep you away from my son?!"

Heidi shied away, ashamed, and Kyle's parents began to lead him away until Stan hesitantly stepped forward. "Hey, wait!" He called out, causing them to stop.

"Look, Kyle, I'm really sorry," Stan said. "I wasn't thinking. I know there's no excuse, but. . ."

Kyle sighed and looked down. "I know," He said, wiping the tears from his eyes. "Stan, we're still friends. I mean, it's not like I have a choice. I mean, who am I to judge; I've screwed up way worse than you, and you still bring yourself to hang out with me. If I can't forgive you, what kind of person does that make me?"

"Kyle, you don't have to forgive me," Stan replied. "No one's forcing you."

"I know," Kyle whispered. "But, uh. . . look, I just need some time alone for now."

Nichole briefly stepped forward, but Kyle raised a hand. "I do mean 'alone'," He stressed, a look of regret on her face. Nichole's face fell.

Murmuring out one final, "I'm sorry," Kyle turned and was led away by his parents to their car. As he did, one final tear streamed down his face.

As the others watched him go, Nichole turned to glare one last time at Stan before returning to her own parents. Stan barely even noticed; the only thing he could see was Kyle as he slowly vanished from sight,

"Kyle," He whispered, pleadingly. "Please don't leave."

* * *

_Read and review._


	23. Gone

_Nicole980: And there's more to come. Hooray!_

_South Down: That's the title of a South Park episode._

_Dragon Slaer: Technically, the president contacted him. Well, Canada wouldn't have been bombed, for one._

* * *

Nobody saw Kyle the next day. At first, his friends just assumed he was cooped up in his room by himself. However, when they called his house, his parents told them he wasn't home. Worse, he'd left his phone at his house, so they couldn't even call him and ask where he was.

Not that Stan or Heidi would be able to see him even if he hadn't vanished. The two were grounded, unable to leave their rooms for the time being.

Stan lay atop his bed, staring up at the ceiling as he contemplated his actions. He couldn't help but wonder if this is what Kyle had felt like after the bomb dropped. Granted, what he'd done had been nowhere near as severe as what Kyle had, but he thought he now knew, to an extent, what Kyle had, and likely was continuing, to feel.

Stupidity. Disbelief. But above all, sheer, overwhelming _guilt_.

He should've known Heidi's plan was doomed to fail. Heck, he probably did know, from the moment she gave him the idea. But the flurry of emotions flooding through his brain had completely clouded his judgement, and he hadn't thought of the myriad of ways his actions could blow up in his face until they did.

And now he was grounded, Kyle was upset at him, and to top it all off, he'd ruined Kyle's presentation that he and everyone else had put so much effort into. The audience hadn't even gotten to finish the video thanks to Stan interrupting to tell them about Kyle's situation, and everything that had transpired afterwards had guaranteed the message in the video was lost.

Stan had ruined everything.

When he heard the sound of his door open, he thought, for a second, that it was Kyle. He didn't know whether to be relieved or disappointed when he saw, instead, that it was none other than Wendy at the door.

She had an odd expression on her face, like a mixture of anger, confusion, and sadness, as she slowly walked over to his bed where he lay. She finally came to a stop, and just stared up at him, not saying a thing.

Eventually, Stan asked, dejectedly, "What do you want?"

"I came here to admonish you," Wendy said, though even she sounded unsure of herself.

"Well then do it," Stan replied. "Nothing you could say could possibly make me feel any worse anyways."

Wendy looked taken aback for a moment. She was silent before eventually opening her mouth.

"Well, first of all, how could you?" She said, trying to sound angry. "How could you put Nichole - my _friend _\- in such a terrible situation? Even if you didn't expect things to turn out the way they did, that was still a stupid and reckless thing to do!"

"I know," Stan said, his voice void of emotion.

"And second of all, what the Hell is wrong with Kyle hanging out with Nichole?" Wendy asked. "We've been dating for years; you never saw Kyle getting worked up about it!"

"That's a good point," Stan agreed, not even looking at her.

"And if you felt that way, why didn't you just talk to Kyle about it?" Wendy went on. "Why did you do something that could've so easily led to you shattering his trust? What were you think. . . what were you. . ."

Stan slowly turned to face Wendy in confusion as she trailed off. Her expression shifted to that of guilt as she hung her head.

"Oh, who am I to talk?" She said, pressing her back against the wall. "I'm just as bad."

Stan stared at Wendy as she sank to the floor. "I drove Heidi away," She admitted. "Me and my friends were so caught up in getting back at you boys for what you did to her that we didn't even try to reach out to her when she was at her lowest. We treated her like she was dead and ended up driving her into the hands of a complete and utter monster. And when Kyle came to us and told us how to fix things, we went and did the exact opposite. It was the easiest fucking thing, it didn't even require any effort on our part, and we fucked it up. And the top it all of, I never even said I was sorry."

Slowly, Stan got out of his bed and sat down next to Wendy. "I guess we have that in common," He muttered. "Both of us let our friends turn into awful people."

"Yeah, but you helped fix him," Wendy replied. "I didn't. Heidi turned away from Cartman all on her own. I was nothing but an obstacle. What kind of person does that make me?"

"It makes us terrible people," Stan said, before adding, "If we don't fix this."

"How are we gonna do that?" Wendy asked.

"Well we have to find Kyle, for one," Stan replied, getting to his feet. "But first, there's someone else I need to make amends with."

"But you're grounded," Wendy reminded him.

"That's temporary," Stan replied. "This could be permanent if we don't do something now. If Kyle's taught me anything, it's that ignoring a small problem is just asking for it to grow into a big one. Now come on!" Pushing open the door, he headed out into the hallway.

Immediately, he heard his father call out from their room, "Stan, what are you doing?"

"I'm going outside," Stan called out in response.

"Oh, alright then," Randy said. "Just don't use the TV. 'Member, you're grounded."

"I 'member," Stan replied. And with that, he and Wendy headed outside the house.

* * *

When Nichole saw that she'd gotten a phone call from Heidi, she nearly rejected the call. But out of curiosity, she answered it.

"What do you want?" She asked, a bitter tone in her voice.

"Nichole, please forgive me," Heidi said on the other end. "I'm really sorry about what happened."

"I'm not the only person you need to apologize to," Nichole retorted.

"I know," Heidi admitted guiltily. "But nobody's seen Kyle. I was wondering if maybe you knew where he was."

"I don't know," Nichole said. "I've called his house, but even his parents haven't seen him."

"Do you think he ran away?" Heidi asked, concerned.

"No, I doubt that," Nichole reassured her. "He just said he wanted to be alone. He's probably out somewhere trying to clear his head."

On the other end of the phone, Heidi furrowed her eyebrows. Then, her eyes widened, and she exclaimed, "Hey, I think I may know where Kyle is!"

"Really?" Nichole asked. "Where?"

"I'm gonna head there right now," Heidi replied. "I may be grounded, but I'll talk to my parents about that later!"

"Um, okay then?" Nichole asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Before I go, can I ask you something?" Heidi asked hesitantly.

"What?" Nichole replied bluntly.

"Why did you take Kyle under your wing?" Heidi asked. "I know you had a crush on him before, but what made you take such a sudden interest in him again?"

There was silence on the other end. Heidi waited, and for a few moment she worried that Nichole had hung up on her.

Finally, Nichole answered.

"Because I didn't want him to turn out like you."

Whatever Heidi had expected Nichole to say, that wasn't it. She didn't know whether to be hurt or relieved by the statement. It was hurtful, no doubt, but at the same time, she knew she couldn't fault Nichole for that.

"I'll see you soon," She whispered, ending the call quickly so Nichole couldn't hear her voice start to crack.

With that, she threw on her jacket and covertly sneaked out of her room so as to not alert her parents.

Then, she rushed out of the house.

* * *

_Read and review._


	24. Snapped

_Dragon Slaer: Don't worry; he hasn't._

_South Down: Thanks._

_Autumnmist93: I have really mixed thoughts on it. I really wasn't fond of Randy hogging all of the screen-time in the first half of the season, since it detracted from the other characters a bit. Which is a shame because now that he's not the focus anymore, I've actually started enjoying the episodes more. And it was great, if coincidental, that Nichole happened to play a big role in two episodes this season. That's more than Wendy has._

_Nicole980: Uh-huh._

_Guest: Wish granted._

* * *

"I'm telling you, Eric, it was amazing," Butters was telling Cartman at the neighborhood park as the boys were playing basketball. "Heidi was going to get ripped to pieces by that dog, but Kyle just swooped in and saved her! You should've been there!"

"Fucking glory hog," Cartman grumbled as he passed the ball to Kevin. "Who the Hell does he think he is?"

"I guess he thinks he's Heidi's hero," Butters replied. "What with how he rushed to save her in time. I bet Heidi's really grateful to him, too."

"Well she can't be that grateful," Cartman dismissed. "I mean, it's hardly the best thing someone has done for her."

"Well it was better than anything you've ever done," Butters replied. "I don't think you've ever saved Heidi's life. Hell, it's gonna be hard to top what Kyle's done."

Cartman grimaced. He didn't even catch the ball as it was passed to him by Token, just stood still, his eyes dark.

"I mean, at this rate, Heidi's definitely gonna want to go for Kyle, now," Butters droned on, seemingly oblivious to Cartman's darkened expression. "No question about it. She's gonna ask him out for sure, and, who knows, she might even show him her vag. . ."

At this point, the other boys had stopped playing, too, and were just staring at the two, their expressions a mixture of shock and fear. Clyde silently gestured for Butters to quit talking, and now, but the blond seemingly didn't notice.

"You think they might get married in the future?" Butters continued. "I wonder what they'd be called? Heidi Broflovski, or Kyle Turner? Who do think would-"

_BONK!_

Butters went crashing to the ground as the basketball unexpectedly collided with his face. "Oh, jeez, sorry about that," Token half-heartedly apologized. "My hands just slipped."

An awkward silence weighed over the boys, when suddenly Tweek and Craig rushed over to the park, hands intertwined. "Guys, guys!" Craig called out to them. "We got good news!"

"Really?" Token said. "What?"

"Heidi said she knows where Kyle is, and she's off to go get him," Tweek explained to them. Hearing this, Cartman's ears perked up, and he snapped his head over to the two.

"She is?" Clyde asked. "Great. Where is she headed?"

"The bridge," Craig replied. "You know, where she threw her phone? The other kids are already headed there right now."

"Well what the Hell are we standing around here for?" Token asked. "Let's go-"

"Oh, no you don't!" Cartman unexpectedly said, shoving Token to the ground. "Ain't none of you assholes are getting there before me! I don't know what that Jew has planned with my girlfriend, but I'll be damned if I'm gonna let him get away with it!" With that, he stormed off, leaving the other boys at the park.

Another silence ensued. Finally, Craig piped up, "Ah, jeez, I think we need to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid. Come on." Pulling Tweek by the arm, he headed off after Cartman, the other boys following suite.

As the boys headed off, none of them paid attention to Butters' small smirk.

_All according to plan, _he thought.

* * *

After her call with Heidi, Nichole had thrown on her coat and headed out of the house. Heidi hadn't told her where Kyle was, but she didn't intend to just stay at home and hope things worked out well. They rarely did.

As she headed down the sidewalk, she was stopped by Stan and Wendy calling out to her as they ran down the street in her direction.

"Nichole!" Stan exclaimed, and his expression shifted to one of guilt when he saw the way her eyes darkened at him. "Um, I know you may have mixed thoughts about seeing me, but please, I just want to make things right."

"You better," Nichole replied, folding her arms. "And it ought to be an epic make-up after what you did."

"I know," Stan muttered. "I screwed up. I wanted to save Kyle, but you seemed to be doing such a better job at that. And, well, I'm his best friend; I felt I should've been the one to do that. But a real best friend would've supported Kyle getting better, regardless of who was making that change. I'm sorry."

At that, Nichole smiled slightly.

"Where were you headed?" Wendy asked.

"Heidi said she knows where Kyle is, and she was off to go get him," Nichole explained. "I was trying to find out where it was to make sure things don't end badly."

"Badly how?" Stan asked, a little worried.

Nichole frowned. "Remember when I said I wanted to talk to you about Kyle?" She asked. "Before you locked me in the barn."

". . . Yeah?" Stan said, wincing slightly at the memory.

"Okay, I think I should tell you now," Nichole said. "While I was hanging out with Kyle, I was trying to find out why he had such a huge meltdown last time, leading to that whole fiasco with Canada and the President. I was reading up about it, and I came to the conclusion that Kyle has this thing, that I'm calling the "volcano effect"."

"Volcano effect?" Stan asked. "What the Hell is that?"

"It's when someone bottles up all their negative emotions, and lets them grow and grow inside of them until they just can't contain it anymore and pretty much explode," Nichole said, throwing her arms out for emphasis.

Stan and Wendy exchanged glances with each other as they considered this.

"Stan, has Kyle ever felt like he was bottling up his emotions, or had a huge meltdown in the past?" Nichole asked.

Stan thought to himself. "Well, there were a few times," He said. "There was that time he got a hemorrhoid and nearly died when he lost his faith. . . and the time he tried to burn down the school when he got bullied. . . but he never went this far."

Wendy thought for a moment, then her head snapped up. "Because you were there," She said, pointing at him. "Stan, you were always there to help Kyle before he went too far and lost control of his emotions in the past. But when he got bullied by Cartman and Heidi, you didn't really try to do that. He had nobody to balance out the negativity, like he did before, and he just had all that anger and frustration building up with no release, and he just snapped."

"Oh," Stan whispered, really thinking back to when Kyle had seemed to miserable. If he'd paid attention, he might've noticed the signs sooner. . .

"That's why he gravitated to Nichole so fast," Wendy went on. "He had someone to talk to and filter through all the bad emotions, like you had done. It was much better than just keeping it all bottled up."

_Well that explains a lot, _Stan thought. Then, his eyes snapped up.

"Wait," He said. "But now, Kyle's just ran off. He said he wanted to be alone."

"That's why I need to find him," Nichole said, a sense of urgency in her voice. "After what just happened, who knows what's going on in Kyle's head right now?"

* * *

He wondered if this is what Heidi felt like.

For some reason, that was what Kyle had been thinking ever since he'd gotten to the bridge. For what seemed like an eternity, he'd just stared down at his reflection in the river below him, at the very spot where Heidi had cast down her phone. His head leaned against his hand as he let his mind wander, thinking about all that had happened.

Why was it that every time he found happiness, it came at a price? He'd liked Leslie, and she turned out to be evil. He'd liked Heidi, and she turned into a monster, and in the process, so had he. And now he'd formed such a close bond with Nichole, only for it to come at the expense of his friendship with Stan.

Why was there always a trade-off? Why couldn't he just be happy?

He would've talked to Nichole about it, but he didn't want to rely on her for everything. This, he felt, he needed to sort out for himself.

Stan had screwed up, big time, no question about that, and Kyle still wasn't sure what to do with him. On the other hand, Kyle had his own share of screw-ups, and that hadn't stopped Stan was remaining by his side. Shouldn't he do the same thing for him?

He was so angry and disappointed at his best friend, but at the same time, he didn't want to be. He wanted to be friends with both Stan and Nichole.

Well why shouldn't he be, we thought to himself. What was he standing around at this bridge for? All he was doing was wasting time feeling sorry for himself. He had to take action.

Yeah, he thought as he stepped away from the edge of the bridge. He would go to both Stan and Nichole, and talk with both of them, and let them know exactly what he was feeling. Then-

"Kyle."

As soon as heard that voice, all the color drained from Kyle's face.

_No. Not now._

Slowly, Kyle turned around to see Heidi, standing at the end of the bridge, staring back at him. Their eyes locked, and Kyle felt his hands clench into fists seeing her.

"What. . . do you. . . want?" Kyle asked through gritted teeth as he glared at the second-last person he wanted to see right now.

Heidi stared at Kyle, an uncomfortable expression on her face. She looked as if she herself didn't quite know the answer.

"Kyle, I'm. . . sorry that I nearly got Nichole killed," She said after some hesitation, causing Kyle to groan and turn away from her. "It was stupid of me. I just. . . I wanted you to forgive me-"

"By acting like an idiot?" Kyle interrupted. "I might've forgiven you, if you hadn't done that!"

"Then why did you act like that?" Heidi asked, feeling herself grow frustrated. "Couldn't you see I was trying to change, like you?"

"I know that!" Kyle snapped, pressing his hand against her forehead, feeling a migraine coming his way. Why had Heidi come now, of all times. . .

"Then why couldn't you just. . ." Heidi started, but paused for a moment before continuing. "Why couldn't you let me help you, like you did for me?"

"I helped you because I felt bad for you," Kyle retorted. "When did you start giving a shit about my problems? When it started inconveniencing you?!"

Heidi looked taken aback for a moment. "I. . . know I was a selfish person, back then," Heidi admitted. "But I tried to change. I'm trying to change, now."

"Then do it!" Kyle shouted. "But leave me out of it! I don't want anything more to do with you!"

"Why?!" Heidi shouted back. "Why not?!"

"Because I don't want to be fixed by the person who broke me!"

Instantly, Heidi went silent. Kyle stared at her, his face the color of blood, his chest heaving in and out.

A tear streamed down his face. "I wanted to help you," He whispered softly, closing his eyes. "I wanted to save you from a horrible fate, before Cartman destroyed you. But instead, I ended up becoming the worst type of person. You turned my friends, the whole school, against me, and made me feel like garbage just for trying to help people. And it broke me. And I let that turn me into a monster. And I'll never be able to grow past that."

"Kyle. . ." Heidi whispered.

"No, Heidi," Kyle said. "I've done something unforgivable. And even if you were to help me, I'll never be better than I was before this happened. I'm a murderer, and I'll never be fixed. Not completely." He was openly crying now, tears streaming from his eyes.

Heidi stared at Kyle in shock and horror. She opened her mouth, trying to find the words to respond, but nothing came out. Eventually, she hesitantly walked over to Kyle, reached out to try and touch him. He didn't resist, only kept crying softly.

"Ha! I knew it!"

Immediately, Kyle and Heidi whipped their heads over in the direction of the voice. _Oh no, _Heidi thought. _Not now._

"I knew you were up to something, you sneaky Jew!" Cartman shouted as he stormed onto the bridge towards the two of them. Kyle stared at him, a lost expression on his face.

"Eric, this isn't what you-" Heidi started, but Cartman ignored her, heading straight for Kyle.

"Think you can take her from me, huh?" Cartman roared as he grabbed Kyle and tossed him backwards. Kyle had a wild look in his tear-stricken eyes as he was stumbled and tried to regain his footing.

"W-What do you-" Kyle stuttered, only for Cartman to strike him across the face, sending him crashing onto the ground.

"Don't play coy with me!" Cartman yelled at him, his fist raised. "You think I don't see what you're doing?! Trying to get into my girlfriend's pants, huh?!"

"What?" Kyle asked, his voice a mixture of shock, and anger. "Why would I-"

"Well you won't!" Cartman roared, grabbing Kyle off the ground and shaking him hard. "I won't let you!"

"Eric, stop!" Heidi shouted, grabbing Cartman's arm, but he shook her off.

"Cartman, you fucking idiot!" Kyle shouted, feeling his eye begin to twitch. "I don't know what gave you that idea, but I don't want to go out with Heidi!"

"You're not talking your way out of this!" Cartman screamed. "Butters told me about how you saved Heidi! How you wanted to impress her and make her go out with you!"

"Butters?" Kyle whispered, raising an eyebrow. His thinking was cut short when Cartman backhanded him across the face, sending him crashing into the ground. He then delivered a sharp kick to his gut, sending Kyle sprawling on the ground in pain.

"Eric, I am _ordering _you to stop!" Heidi shouted angrily. "Do it, before I bash your fucking head in!"

"You don't get a say in this!" Cartman shouted as he picked Kyle up off the ground. "He's never been anything more than a problem for me. Always ruining everything for me and taking away what makes me happy! Well I'm not standing for it anymore! You hear me, Kyle?! You're finished!"

With that, he threw Kyle against the end of the bridge. Kyle let out a gasp as the back of his body slammed against the stone railing. He slid onto the ground and crumbled onto his hands and knees, coughing heavily.

"Kyle!" Heidi shouted in horror.

By this point, the other kids had begun to arrive by the bridge. "Ah, shit!" Craig exclaimed when he saw Cartman looming over the injured Kyle. "We were too late!"

"Dammit, Butters, why'd you make us stop to get popcorn?!" Token shouted at Butters, who simply shrugged as he help the bag of popcorn in his hands.

Kyle continue to kneel on the ground, his head down. His head was throbbing, his stomach felt like it was on fire, and his back was aching. He was in utter agony.

However, it was no longer just _physical _pain he was feeling. All at once, Kyle felt his hands clench tightly as his headache came back full force. Pain ripped through his head as he felt his eyes start to throb, feeling like they would burst out of their sockets.

"Well, Kyle?!" Cartman shouted down at him, not noticing the way Kyle was shaking violently. "You get the message now, or do I got to beat it into you some more?!"

At that moment, a vessel burst in Kyle's eye. Blood flooded his left eye, and as it did, Kyle sprang upwards, colliding with Cartman and hurling him onto the ground. Nearby, all of the kids jumped in surprise, including Heidi.

Cartman coughed violently, and looked up at Kyle, a look of shock on his face. Kyle stared down at him, his left eye filled with blood.

"K-Kyle?" Cartman squeaked.

Kyle's teeth were gritted with rage. His left eye twitched. His vision turned red.

And just like that, _everything _went red.

* * *

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	25. Kyle's Fury

_South Down: Looks like it._

_Dragon Slaer: And worse._

_Nicole980: Pretty much._

_Warknight216: You'll find out._

_Guest: You can say that again._

_Autumnmist93: Sad to say, I didn't write that article, but I did read and was inspired by it. Agreed that it is one of the best analysis's of any South Park character I've read._

* * *

As soon as Kyle lost it, everyone knew the fight was over.

Cartman, even at his "peak", was no match for Kyle, even if the latter were holding back; few kids were. And it was clear as day that he wasn't holding back. Not now. Everyone knew it, no one more so than Cartman himself.

Even so, Cartman raised his fists, to try and hold out for as long as he could. He didn't have many options; there was no way he could outrun Kyle. He silently cursed his temper and lack of foresight.

Kyle didn't hesitate for a moment. Lashing out, his clenched fist connected with the side of Cartman's temple. The force of the blow sent Cartman reeling, his arms flailing in the air. He was so dazed from the blow he didn't have time to react when another slammed into his nose. Or his jaw. Or his eye.

At the end of the bridge, the other kids watched on in awe as Kyle wailed on Cartman, knocking the larger boy around effortlessly. Eventually, some of the kids started chanting out in encouragement, entertained as Kyle beat the shit out of his nemesis.

"Fuck him up, Eric!" Butters shouted at Cartman. Seemingly invigorated by his sole supporter, Cartman tried to throw a punch at Kyle's temple. The smaller boy ducked under the blow and retaliated with an uppercut, sending Cartman's head flying backwards.

On the bridge, Heidi watched on, her eyes widened and her jaw hanging open. While the other kids were shouting in amazement, all she could do was stare in horror as the nicest boy she knew beat her ex-boyfriend to a bruised, bloody pulp. His eyes were filled with an anger that she didn't know was in him. She was so paralyzed in shock that she forgot that she was in range of the fighting, and had to jump to the side as Cartman was thrown in her direction.

Slamming into the railing of the bridge, Cartman barely had time to catch his breath before Kyle was on him again, delivering multiple punches and kicks to his gut. He doubled over, seemingly in pain, only to grab a small rock off the ground. Swinging around, he slammed the rock into Kyle's face, sending him stumbling backwards. Nearby, the other kids "oohed", feeling the blow.

Kyle breathed heavily, feeling blood streaming down his nose where Cartman had hit him. He was hurting, but clearly not as bad as Cartman. The larger boy already had several cuts all over his body, blood dripping from his wounds. Regardless, Cartman rushed forward, swinging the rock wildly in Kyle's direction. The smaller boy dodged out of the way, his arms outstretched. Finally, he saw his opening and caught Cartman's wrist, squeezing so tightly that the rock dropped from his hand. Yanking Cartman forward, he kneed him in the jaw, sending him toppling to the ground.

For a moment, both boys tried to catch their breath. "K-Kyle," Cartman groaned in between gasps of air. "Need. . . t-time. . . time-out. . ."

_"No you don't,"_ Kyle whispered, speaking for the first time since he'd started fighting back. The tone of his voice sent a chill down not only Cartman's spine, but the spines of everyone present. There was something different in Kyle's voice; something malicious.

_"I am going to **kill **you, Cartman," _Kyle hissed. _"I'll wipe your stench from this Earth if I have to die, too."_

That caused Cartman's blood to run cold, and not just his. It wasn't just the threat; Kyle had threatened to kill him before. What chilled him, and some of the other kids, was that this time, Kyle sounded like he _meant _it.

Cartman was so spooked he didn't have time to react when Kyle's fist slammed into the side of his head, throwing him onto his back. Immediately, Kyle was on top of him, pinning him to the ground and punching him in the face, over and over and over again.

By now, most of the other kids weren't hooting anymore. Instead, they were wondering why the fight wasn't over yet. Fights rarely lasted this long, and they knew Kyle could knock Cartman out with a single blow if he wanted; he'd proved it the last time Cartman attacked him over Heidi. And yet, it was almost like Kyle was intentionally drawing it out.

"Yeah Eric, kick the crap out of him!" Butters continued to shout, even though the other kids were now silent.

At this point, Craig turned towards Butters. "Butters, what the Hell are you on about?" He asked, in a mixture of curiosity and annoyance. "Cartman's getting his ass kicked."

Butters turned to face Craig. "You don't understand, Craig," He said, his voice low. "This has all gone according to plan."

". . . Plan?" Craig asked, raising an eyebrow. "You. . . plan? What?"

"Craig, why do you think I convinced Eric to go back to school during the fundraiser?" Butters asked him.

". . . I just thought you were being an idiot," Craig replied.

"I knew Kyle was holding in some major anger problems," Butters explained to him. "That's why I decided he needed an outlet for that anger. And who better than the cause of those anger problems in the first place?"

By this point, some of the other boys had turned their attention onto Butters. "Wait. . . but then that means. . ." Tweek started.

"Of course, it wouldn't be enough for Cartman to just come back," Butters explained. "There needed to be a motivation for Cartman to piss Kyle off. That's where Heidi came in. If Cartman thought Kyle was after his ex-girlfriend, he'd stop at nothing to get in Kyle's way and mess things up for him. And with just a little extra prodding, I'd get Cartman to challenge Kyle to a fight. And we all know who'd win in that situation."

"Then why were you rooting for Cartman?" Clyde asked.

"Well I need him to think he at least stands a chance," Butters replied. "Otherwise he wouldn't take the risk. That's what I always do."

"And this was supposed to help, how?" Token asked, frustrated.

"Once Kyle started fighting back, he'd finally have an outlet to all that pent-up aggression," Butters revealed, grinning. "And to top it all off, we get to sit back and enjoy the fun."

"Ooh," Craig said, his voice low. "That was actually really well thought-out, Butters."

"Gee, thanks," Butters replied.

"However, you might have overlooked one tiny little detail," Craig whispered.

"What's that?" Butters asked.

_"Kyle doesn't like fighting, you fucking idiot!" _Craig unexpectedly shouted, causing the other kids, including Butters, to recoil in surprise. Craig stared at him, his face red with anger and his fist clenched.

"For the love of God, do you know a damn thing about Kyle?!" He asked, furious. "He has an explosive temper, but he hates violence! He's not like you; he doesn't think it's fun!"

Butters stared back at Craig, his face blank. "Well, yeah, but. . . uh. . ." He said, looking at the ground as he thought to himself.

"Look at him!" Craig shouted, pointing at the bridge. "Does he _look_ like he's working out his anger in a healthy way?"

Butters, along with the other kids, turned their attention back onto Kyle and Cartman, but only now did they see the truth of the situation; Kyle was continuing to wail on Cartman, his left eye filled with blood where his vessel had burst in anger. His beautiful face was marred by angry bruises from where Cartman had hit him, and blood continued to stream from his nose. He looked like he was in utter agony, like he would collapse in pain at any moment, but he didn't. He just continued to slam his fists against Cartman's face, head and body, even as his hands started to drip with Cartman's blood.

". . . Oh, hamburgers," Butters whispered, only now seeing the error of his ways. Rushing out of the crowd and towards where Kyle was pummeling Cartman, he reached out with shaky hands, saying, "Um, hey Kyle? I think that's enough. You should-"

_THWACK!_

With lightning speed, Kyle lashed out, striking Butters across the eye so hard it sent him flying backwards. A collective gasp erupted from the crowd while Kyle simply turned his attention back onto Cartman.

With trembling arms, Butters slowly pushed himself off the ground. He brushed his eye with his hand and felt a bruise forming from where Kyle had struck him. Tears of pain began to spill from his eyes. Kyle took no notice, simply continuing to punch Cartman in the face.

Despite his pain, Cartman mustered the strength to push Kyle off of him, and he struggled to crawl away. Both of his eyes were nearly jammed shut from all the blows they had taken, and his face was covered in blood, which dripped onto the ground.

Behind him, Kyle got to his feet, wiping the blood from his nose. Slowly, he walked forward, watching Cartman as the larger boy desperately attempted to crawl away.

"Kyle, dude," Token called out a distance away. "You're going too far. Why don't we just stop now, I'll call an ambulance, and you and Cartman-"

"Oh, but that would be no fun, would it?" Kyle said sarcastically, turning to stare at the other kids, who winced when they saw his one, red eye. "After all, that's what's most important to you guys. Who gives a shit about anything else? I'd hate to spoil the entertainment for you." Turning back to Cartman, he continued to stalk after him.

Nearby, Heidi sat, pressed up against the railing. "Holy fuck," She whispered in horror.

"What have I done?" Butters asked guiltily.

* * *

"But I don't get it," Stan was saying to Wendy and Nichole. "Why didn't Kyle talk to me about these feelings? Why'd he come to you?"

"Maybe it was because he was sure Nichole would listen to what he had to say," Wendy suggested. "He might not have been sure you'd be willing to do that."

"But that's ridiculous," Stan replied. "Where would Kyle get that in his head. . . wait. . ."

_"For the first time I feel kind of bad for the person being farted on," Kyle had told him while the boys had been watching The Terrance & Phillip Show. _

_"Kyle's mom doesn't like the cartoon, guys. Better shut it off," Heidi mocked, causing all of the boys, including Stan, to start laughing._

_"Okay dude, I didn't want to have to say this, but you're really starting to sound like your mom," Stan told Kyle during his embargo, unwittingly putting himself in the same category as Cartman and Heidi. _

_"I'm not like my mom!" Kyle shouted back at him, the anger in his voice masking that of anguish._

"Oh. . . oh, shit," Stan said to himself. Turning back to the girls, he said, "Come on, we have to find where Kyle is, now!"

"But we don't know where he is," Nichole reminded him.

Just then, Stan received a phone call. Pulling out his phone, he noticed it was from Clyde, and answered it. "Yes, Clyde?" He asked, a little annoyed.

He was met with heavy breathing and sobbing on the other end. "St-St-Stan!" Clyde stammered to him. "We have a situation! Butters was being an idiot, and he came up with a stupid plan, and we didn't realize it until now, and now we're in trouble, and-and-"

"Whoa, dude, what the Hell are you talking about?" Stan asked, baffled.

"Kyle's gonna kill Cartman," Clyde whined meekly.

At that, Stan, along with Wendy and Nichole, let out a collective gasp. "W-Where are you?" Stan asked, worried.

"We're at the bridge," Clyde said, in between sobs. "Hurry." With that, the call ended.

"Oh, shit!" Stan said in a panic. "Kyle can't kill Cartman! He'll go to juvie! We have to hurry! Come on!"

Not wasting any time, the three quickly ran off towards the bridge as fast as they could.

* * *

On the bridge, Cartman slowly raised his bloodied head towards Kyle. As soon as he did, he was met with another punch to the face, sending him crashing onto the ground.

Kyle was breathing heavily as he stared down at Cartman. He hated this, more than anything. He hated the taste of the blood in his mouth. He hated letting his emotions drive his actions, again. He hated the knowledge that his "friends" had intentionally pit him against his worst enemy for their own amusement.

But despite it all, he couldn't stop.

By now, any entertainment the other kids were feeling had been replaced by terror. Many of them wanted to intervene, but nobody was willing to get between Kyle and Cartman.

Mustering what little strength he had left, Cartman threw a weak punch towards Kyle. The redhead casually batted his arm away with his fist, then grabbed Cartman by the collar and yanked him forward, slamming his forehead into Cartman's mouth, knocking out one of his teeth.

Pinning Cartman to the ground, Kyle started slamming his head against the ground repeatedly, his hands wrapped around his throat. Cartman didn't even have the strength to resist anymore; his arms lay against his sides, flopping in the air slightly every time his head connected with the ground.

"Holy shit," Clyde whispered in fear, hiding behind Craig. "Holy shit, holy shit. He's gonna kill him. He's gonna fucking kill him!"

Even Craig had a panicked expression on his face as he watched the scene before him. He didn't usually get scared, but right now, he was terrified. His hand was clutched around Tweek's for emotional support.

Kyle tightened his grip around Cartman's throat. His teeth were gritted and tears of pain and rage were streaming down his face. Cartman looked up at him, his eyes bulging. His hands were wrapped around Kyle's arms, trying weakly to pry them off his throat, to no avail. He gasped and choked violently as his air supply was cut off.

"K-K-Ky. . . Ky-" He choked out as his veins started popping out from under his skin. Kyle didn't respond; he only continued to press down onto Cartman's throat. His furious eyes stared down into Cartman's widened ones, the blood from his nose dripping onto Cartman's skin.

Slowly, Cartman's eyes began to roll into the back of his head as he began to slip into unconsciousness.

"No!"

Suddenly, a flurry of green tackled Kyle off of Cartman, who quickly started gasping and trying to catch his breath. Everyone gasped as Heidi slammed Kyle onto the ground, a few feet away from Cartman.

"S-Stop," Heidi gasped, pinning Kyle down. "You can't. . . do this. . ."

Kyle lay on the ground, breathing heavily. His eyes regained focus, and they widened as he realized that Heidi was pinning him to the ground with her body.

"Get off of me!" He shouted, roughly throwing her off. She landed on the ground next to him.

Quickly, both of them scrambled to their feet and turned to face each other. Heidi glanced behind Kyle and stared at Cartman. Even though Kyle was no longer pummeling him, he was so broken from the fight that he didn't even have the strength to get up. He simply lay there, the only indication he wasn't dead being the slight raising and lowering of his chest.

Heidi turned back to Kyle. She could tell, from his expression, that he was still overcome with anger; it just wasn't directed at Cartman anymore. She didn't know whether that was a good thing or a bad thing.

"Kyle, listen to my voice," She said to him. "This has gone on too long. You have to stop." She didn't want to have to fight Kyle; at this rate, however, she wasn't even sure if she could.

Heidi's words, however, seemed to have the opposite affect on Kyle. His hands clenched and his body shook.

_"Shut up, Kyle, you sound like your mom!"_

Heidi let out an agonized scream as she felt a sharp pain shoot from her kneecap where Kyle's foot had connected. As she doubled over, she was thrown up against the railing of the bridge.

_"Oh great! So Kyle's stupid brother goes missing and I get fucked!"_

Heidi could only raise her arms to shield her face as Kyle started striking her repeatedly. Every blow stung, and Kyle would slam her against the railing every time she tried to move. Nearby, the other kids winced with every punch or kick.

"Kyle. . . s-stop. . . stop!" Heidi cried out as she felt bruises beginning to form on her arms and face. Kyle didn't appear to be listening, and he reeled back his fist once more.

And then, all at once, he stopped.

_What am I doing?_

Stepping back, Kyle stared at Heidi, his eyes wild. He saw the cuts and bruises on her face. Her arms were raised in defense, her body trembling in fear. She was terrified.

For the first time, Kyle became conscious of his surroundings. Turning around, he saw Cartman's bruised, bloody body, laying on the ground, practically on the brink of death. His eyes widened in horror as he saw what he'd done.

_No. I couldn't have. . . I did that?_

He turned and stared at the crowd of kids at the edge of the bridge, their eyes fixed on him. He saw friends, classmates, all of them staring at him in utter horror and fear. None of them dared approach him, simply standing there, a long distance away.

_What have I done? What have I done? What have I done?_

Kyle turned back to Heidi, who lay against the railing, trying to catch her breath. She groaned in pain, her body aching. Anchoring herself against the railing, she tried to stand to her feet.

Suddenly, everyone heard the sound of metal creaking. Kyle's eyes widened as he saw the railing, the one he'd slammed Heidi against repeatedly, start to give away from the pressure. And Heidi, who was too weak to move in time, started to fall with it.

"No!"

Quickly, Kyle surged forward. Grabbing Heidi's arm, he spun her around and threw her onto the ground. As he did so, he inadvertently took her place against the falling railing.

"Kyle!" Tweek shouted out in horror.

Kyle didn't have time to speak, or do anything.

Before he could even comprehend what was happening, he had fallen off the bridge.

* * *

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	26. Over the Edge

_South Down: Oh YES!_

_Dragon Slaer: Maybe._

_Warknight216: No kidding._

_Guest: Uh-huh._

_Guest: Yeah, I wanted that scene to be both horrifying and cathartic at the same time. Honestly, Cartman's been overdue for a beating like that._

_Guest: Moving on._

_Guest (sure are a lot of these): Was wondering if anyone would pick that up._

_Nicole980: Yeah, he figured it out, alright._

* * *

Time seemed to slow down for Kyle as he fell. For what seemed like an eternity, he almost appeared to drift peacefully through the chilly winter air. All sound was tuned out, from his own cry of terror, to the screams of his schoolmates as they saw him fall.

He was brought, painfully, back to reality as the feeling of his body hitting the river below engulfed him, and an agonized scream escaped his throat. For a moment, he was totally submerged underwater, the chilly water stabbing into his skin like swords. He thrashed violently, erupting towards the surface, giving a panicked gasp as he did.

Quickly, he was tossed to and fro by the violent rapids. He threw his arms to grab hold of anything to keep from being swept away, and his fingers managed to grasp one of the large rocks that surfaced above the river. Clinging to it, he held onto it as if he were hugging a family member. It was the only thing keeping him from being swept away by the river.

By now, the other kids were rushing to the side of the bridge where he had fallen. "Kyle!" Tweek shouted out in a panicked tone.

Kyle didn't dare look up, fearing that any slight distraction would loosen his hold on the rock. He buried his face against the rough surface, holding on for dear life.

"Kyle, hold on!" Clyde shouted down to him. "We'll call the police or something!"

"No way are they gonna get here in time," Token replied. "Does anyone have any rope or something?"

"Well, actually. . ." Craig said, taking out his bag. Unzipping it, he pulled out a long, thick chain.

"Wait, why do you have that?" Token asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Never mind that," Craig retorted. Slinging the chain over the side of the bridge, he called out, "Kyle, grab the chain!"

Several other kids joined in holding onto the end of the chain as they carefully lowered it towards the rock where Kyle was clinging to. The red-haired boy dared to glance up, seeing the chain dangling just a few inches away from him.

"Come on, grab it!" Token called out to him.

Kyle stared at the long chain, the key to his salvation. All he had to do was just grab it. . .

Except he didn't.

"Never!" He shouted vehemently, wrenching his head away from the chain and shutting his eyes tight. "I'd rather be swept away than be saved by any of you!"

The other kids winced slightly at his words. The boys exchanged worried glances.

"All you ever do is make things worse!" Kyle shouted in rage. "When that fiasco with the internet troll came about, you just turned on each other like fucking animals instead of trying to make things better! Your stupidity drove a nice girl, a girl half of you claimed to be friends with, into the hands of a creep! And when I tried to help her, you went and did the very thing I told you _not _to do, undoing all of my efforts! And now, you bait my worst enemy into attacking me just for your own fucking amusement!"

At that, Butters shrunk down in shame.

"And after everything, now you want to be heroes!" Kyle vented. "Well forget it! I'll save myself! I don't need any of you!" As he spat out his last words, he batted the chain away with his arm, sending it twirling by the side of the bridge.

The kids continued to hold onto the chain, the weight of Kyle's words starting to take effect. Craig let out a tired sigh as he exchanged glances with his friends. Nearby, Butters looked down at the ground, marred with Kyle and Cartman's blood, a feeling of disgust crawling through his gut.

At that moment, Stan, Wendy and Nichole reached the bridge. "Guys, what happened?" Stan asked, before he noticed the blood streaming across the ground and followed it to Cartman's broken body. "Holy shit!"

Cartman lay on his back, coughing up blood. His face was covered his bruises, and he looked as if he'd suffered a few fractures across his body.

"Kyle did this?" Nichole asked, in complete disbelief.

"Cartman started it," Clyde said quickly.

"Where's Kyle?" Stan asked him. Clyde tilted his head towards the side of the bridge, where the kids continued to hold the chain over, and Stan rushed to the end and looked down to see Kyle hanging onto the rock.

"Oh, shit!" He shouted, panicked.

"He tried to save me," Heidi whispered, clutching her sore knee. She was having trouble standing up after the kick she'd received from him.

"He won't grab the chain," Craig explained.

Stan stared down at Kyle as he clung to the rock. The redhead was struggling to pull his whole body out of the water onto it, but the rock wasn't large enough for him. If he tried to stand, he would fall off. The best he could do was crouch down on it, trying to keep from slipping.

Stan glanced at the chain, then to Kyle, then back to the chain. Quickly, an idea formed in his head. Looking up, he stepped towards the end of the bridge.

"Stan, what are you doing?" Wendy asked, worried.

Stan glanced over his shoulder to stare at her. "Fixing this," Was all he said.

And with that, he stepped off the bridge.

"Stan, _no_!" Wendy cried.

Stan glided through the air, his eyes sharp. As he fell, his arm shot out and grabbed onto the end of the chain. The sudden added weight caused the kids holding it to be jerked forward, but they held on tight. The momentum allowed Stan to swing through the air to the right of the bridge, before swinging back towards Kyle.

When Kyle looked to the side, all he saw was Stan swinging towards him, one arm holding onto the chain, the other outstretched towards him. All Kyle had time to do was widen his eyes in surprise before Stan slammed into him, carrying him off the rock in one fell swoop. He held on tightly to Kyle as they swung over the river.

"(Holy shit)!" Kenny shouted, stunned.

Letting go of the chain, Stan and Kyle were tossed through the air and landed in a heap on the ground beneath the bridge. They tumbled across the rough surface, coming to a stop a few feet off the side of the river.

"They made it!" Butters shouted, jumping for joy. Immediately, the kids rushed to get to the two.

Beneath the bridge, both Stan and Kyle were breathing heavily as they lay on the ground, dazed. Craning his head in Stan's direction, Kyle whispered out, "S-Stan? Why-"

"I-I'm sorry," Stan interrupted, getting onto his knees. "Everything - becoming student body vice president, the fundraiser, the video - it was all just a distraction. It wasn't what you actually needed."

"Stan," Kyle choked out, but sat up as he noticed their schoolmates practically tumbling down the hill towards them.

Nichole was the first to reach them. "Kyle!" She shouted, collapsing at his side and gathering him up in her arms. "What happened, dear?"

Kyle looked away, too ashamed to look her in the eyes after what he'd done. "I-I nearly killed Cartman," He confessed, wincing as he spoke. Nichole said nothing, her mouth hanging open in shock.

"It's all my fault," Butters said as he reached them, rubbing his knuckles together nervously. "I thought if Kyle beat up his worst enemy, he'd feel better about himself. I didn't think it would get this bad, though."

"It was me, Nichole," Kyle choked out. "It was _all_ me. I wanted to kill him. I've wanted to for such a long time. And I nearly. . ." He stopped, tears beginning to stream down his eyes.

"Kyle. . ." Nichole whispered.

"Oh Nichole, I'm sorry," Kyle said, looking up at her with tear-streaked eyes. "I wasn't strong enough. . . to hold back. Just like when I got Canada nuked. Now Cartman. . . and Heidi. . . they're both hurt now. I'm not good enough." He pressed his face against Nichole's chest, trying to fight back the tears continuing to spill down his bruised, bloody face.

"Oh, Kyle. . ." Nichole said, hugging him close.

"That's not true!" A voice shouted out, causing all heads to whip in the direction of who had spoken, including Kyle. It was Heidi.

"You are strong!" She said. "You never give up! You slip and fall and you make bad choices, just like everyone else, but you don't let it define you! You always get back up and try to learn and grow for the better! We need you!"

Kyle stared at her, his eyes wide. Tear streaks still adorned his face, but he was no longer crying.

"And even if you disagree," Heidi went on. "You need us. You need your friends. And there's nothing shameful about that. Even the strongest people need help sometimes. I only wish I'd learned that sooner."

Kyle let out a deep sigh. Standing up, he wondered towards the end of the bridge wall and lay down against it. Stan sat down next to him.

"Hey, Kyle," He said. "At first, I didn't get why were hanging out with Nichole so much. And I guess I was afraid you wouldn't be my best friend anymore. It was stupid and selfish of me. The thing is, you like Nichole and if she makes you happy, she makes me happy, too. And if she's your friend, then she's mine, too."

"Thanks, Stan," Kyle whispered, smiling softly. "Though I don't know what you were so worried about. You're still my Super Best Friend, and nothing will ever change that." As he spoke, he rested his hand against Stan's shoulder. Stan gave an awkward grin.

Slowly, Wendy and Nichole sat down next to Stan and Kyle respectively, Wendy leaning her head against Stan's shoulder. They gazed at the river before them, at the spot where Kyle had nearly lost his life.

"So, what's gonna happen now?" Wendy asked.

"We become better people," Was all Stan said in reply as he rested his arm on Wendy's shoulder.

It was then that the kids heard the sound of something heavy being dragged on top of the hill. Glancing up to the side, they saw Cartman struggling to pull his injured form towards the edge of the hill.

"Guys. . ." He groaned out, blood still streaming from his mouth. "I think I broke something. Could use a little help here. Guys?"

Kyle sighed. "Speaking of becoming better people," He said, turning to Token. "Token?"

"On it," He replied, already on his phone and calling the ambulance.

* * *

_Read and review._


	27. Making Amends

_Dragon Slaer: Eh._

_South Down: Thanks._

_Nicole980: Wait for what?_

_Pinkamonproductions: I haven't watched that show, but I'm flattered._

* * *

Kyle, Heidi and Cartman all had to go to the hospital after the incident at the bridge. Cartman's injuries were most severe; he'd suffered heavy bleeding and a minor concussion, along with a couple fractures, which would keep him in the hospital for well over a week. Kyle and Heidi were far more lucky; they only needed to be at the hospital for about a day or so.

"Oh, my poor baby," Sheila was lamenting, hugging Kyle as he sat up in the hospital bed. "I hope you're not too hurt."

"I'm fine, mom, really," Kyle reassured her, even though his body still stung from the blows he had received.

"Just look at your eye," Sheila said, gesturing to his red eye. "It's filled with blood."

"It'll go away eventually," Kyle replied, rubbing his arm awkwardly. A burst blood vessel was honestly nothing compared to what he'd done to Cartman. He knew his arch-enemy deserved it, but he couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable knowing he was the one who'd injured him so badly.

At that moment, Dr. Doctor appeared at the door. "Mr. Broflovski, you have some visitors," He informed Kyle. Immediately, several of Kyle's friends crowded into the room, Stan and Nichole at the front.

"Oh, hey guys," Kyle said, managing a smile as Nichole climbed onto the hospital bed next to him. "How are you doing?"

"We're doing fine," Clyde replied. "Here, we just wanted to give you some Get Well Soon cards." The kids quickly began practically throwing gift cards onto Kyle's bed. Kyle took the time to read each one.

"'_Get well soon_'," He read. "_**'You're a tough cookie'**_. _'Lots of love'_. Gee, thanks, guys." Opening them up, he also saw some cash and other gifts inside the envelopes.

"So, Kyle," Craig said, exchanging glances with the other kids. "We wanted to know if, perhaps, you wanted to redo the presentation? You know, since that whole incident came up that kind of interrupted."

Kyle's mouth was a thin line as he thought to himself. Finally, he said, "There's no need to."

The other kids looked surprised. "But you worked so hard on it," Stan pointed out. "And it meant so much to do."

"And we finished it, didn't we?" Kyle asked. "The whole point of making it was to spread awareness. Everyone in our town is already aware of it, so what should be done is getting it out online so more people can see it."

"Kyle, that's very thoughtful of you," Sheila commended.

Nichole wrapped an arm around Kyle's shoulder and gave him a small hug. Then, she turned to Stan and gave him a small nod. Stan looked her in the eyes, and gulped slightly.

"Um, guys?" He said before turning to Kyle's parents. "Mr. and Mrs. Broflovski? Uh, can me and Kyle be alone for a bit. We need to talk."

Kyle's parents exchanged glances with their son. "Sure, Stan," Gerald said after a while. Everyone except Stan and Kyle quickly exited the room. Nichole was the last to leave; as she closed the door, she gave one last look towards Stan.

As soon as they were alone, Kyle asked, "What is it, Stan?"

Stan took a deep breath before speaking. "Well, first of all, I'm sorry," He said. "For everything."

Kyle nodded, and Stan continued. "Second of all. . . when Cartman and Heidi spearheaded all of that teasing, and I joined in. . . how did it make you feel?"

At first, Kyle furrowed his eyebrows. "How did I feel?" He asked, as if the answer was obvious. "Well, what did you think? I felt terrible! How do you. . ." He trailed off, however, when he realized why Stan was asking this.

"Oh," He said, calming down. "Well, I felt like shit, really. It wouldn't have bothered me if it was just Cartman doing it; he does that all the time. But that everyone was joining in. . . I just felt so lost. I didn't even know what was going on in everyone's heads. I mean, everyone hated Cartman, and some of them hated Heidi more. But it was like they didn't want them to stop, or change, or anything."

"I think they did," Stan replied, rubbing the back of his head. "But they. . . well, I. . . just thought it wasn't gonna happen. I guess we all thought that was just how things were gonna be, and there was no point in questioning it."

"It didn't have to be," Kyle replied, slumping into his pillow. "I was so close. Me and Heidi were actually friends, and were almost something more. She was such a good person. And then. . ." He cut himself off with a sorrowful sigh, turning his head to the side.

"Why?" He asked, to himself more than Stan. "Why couldn't things have turned out better?"

Stan stared at Kyle silently for a moment. "I don't know," He replied eventually. "This world isn't perfect, like, at all. I wish things did always turn out right, but they rarely do. But you know, if there is a benefit to that, it's that at least people get to learn from it, so maybe next time won't be as shitty."

Kyle turned to stare at Stan. "Will they, though?" He asked. "You think Cartman's sitting in his bed, repenting from all his sins and resolving to change for the better?"

Stan opened his mouth to respond, but hesitated. "Okay, some people, maybe even most, won't learn from it," He admitted. "But just because they won't, doesn't mean we can't. And that's something, right?"

Kyle managed a weak smile. "I guess it is," He whispered. "Thanks, Stan."

"No, Kyle," Stan replied, returning the smile. "Thank you."

* * *

Out in the hallway, the kids lounged about, some of them listening in on Stan and Kyle's conversation.

Nichole felt someone tap her on the shoulder, and turned around to see a familiar face. "Oh, hey Token," She said, giving an awkward wave.

"Hey," Token replied, rubbing the back of his head. "Um, I've seen the way you've kind of been looking out for Kyle these past few weeks."

"Oh, that," Nichole said. "I hope you didn't take that the wrong way."

"No, it was really cool," Token replied. "Kyle's a good friend, and it's nice that you were there to help get him back on his feet. He needs someone to let him know he's appreciated, I guess."

"Oh, thanks," Nichole replied.

The two shuffled awkwardly, staring into each other's eyes. They both looked like they were trying to find the right words to say.

"So, uh," Token continued on after a tense silence. "I was wondering, if you have the time. . . maybe we could, you know, talk, this week. You know, if you're not busy and all."

"Oh," Nichole replied, shifting her eyes. "That sounds fun, I guess."

"So, see you, then?" Token asked. "Maybe?"

"Maybe," Nichole replied, nodding.

Nearby, Butters quietly entered Cartman's room and approached where he was lying on the hospital bed. "Hey Eric," He said in a somewhat nervous tone.

Cartman mustered the strength to twist his head in Butters' direction. His body was covered in stitches and bandages, and his right arm was in a cast. His face was ridlded with cuts and bruises that had barely begun to heal, a testament to Kyle's fury.

"Hey Butters," He croaked out, sounding like even speaking was painful for him.

"I hate to see you like this, Eric," Butters said, placing a sympathetic hand on Cartman's shoulder.

"Yeah, I bet," Cartman groaned. "It's your fault this happened."

"Yeah, and I'm really sorry for that," Butters replied.

"That's not even the worst of it," Cartman grumbled. "I got my ass kicked in front of Heidi, and by a fucking Jew. She must think I'm a total pussy now."

Butters bit his lower lip. "Well, the thing is, Eric," He said. "You've spent all this time letting Heidi get to you. You've let it keep you out of school, away from your friends, and now it put you in the hospital. But really, Eric, all you're doing is letting Heidi win."

"What do you mean?" Cartman asked.

"All you're doing is hurting yourself fussing over Heidi," Butters said. "That girl doesn't deserve you anyways. She dumped you in front of everyone and pooped all over your heart. Is that really a girl you want to waste your time worrying over?"

Cartman looked up at the ceiling. "Huh," He said, squinting his eyes. "I didn't really see it like that, but I guess you're right. She _doesn't _deserve me, does she?"

"Yeah," Butters said. "After all she's done to you, she should be the one crawling back to you, begging for you to forgive her and take her back."

"Yeah," Cartman agreed, smiling. "You're right, Butters, I shouldn't be beating myself up over her! I bet she's already starting to regret ending things with me!"

"I bet she has!" Butters replied, nodding.

"Oh, I can already see her begging for me to take her back!" Cartman declared. "She'll be all, _'You have to take me back, Eric!' _and I'll be like, _'It's too late for that, Heidi' _and then she'll be all, _'You have to or I'm gonna kill myself!' _and then I'll be like _'That's not gonna work this time, baby!'_!" He started to laugh, only to groan in pain immediately afterwards.

"Gee, I'm real proud of you, Eric!" Butters told him. "It's nice to know you're moving on and won't let her consume your thoughts anymore!"

As he said this, he turned towards the open door to see Craig, staring at him with a blank expression in the hallway. He grinned widely and gave him a thumbs-up. Craig merely rolled his eyes and went off to try and find Tweek.

* * *

In her hospital bed, Heidi sat up, her hands clasped together and her head lowered. Truthfully, she didn't feel like she needed to be in the hospital, especially given how minor her injuries were compared to Kyle and Cartman, but her parents had her sent there anyways. They'd also revoked their grounding of her, but for her, that was preferable to being in the hospital.

Her head snapped up when the door opened and she saw her female friends pour into the room. "Oh, hey guys," She said weakly. "What are you doing here?"

"We're here to visit our, friend, silly," Lola replied. "Why else?"

"Well, there is another reason, actually," Wendy said, standing at the front of the girls. She exchanged glances with all of them, each of them nodding to her, before she turned to Heidi.

"Heidi, I just want to speak for all of us when I say that we're sorry," She said. "For everything."

"You don't need to apologize," Heidi replied. "I made a bad decision."

"We're still your friends, though," Wendy replied. "At least, we're supposed to be. And lately, we weren't very good ones. We let crusading against the boys take priority over helping you when you were in a dark place. You needed us and we let you down."

"And we'll do anything to make it up to you," Bebe promised. "Right, girls?" They all nodded in response.

Heidi thought to herself. "Well, there is one thing you could do," She said. "Please be nice to Kyle and his friends, from now on."

"If that's what you want," Wendy reassured her. "Truly, I think we all want things to go back to the way they were before."

"Yeah," Heidi whispered, sinking into her bed and looking up at the ceiling, smiling softly. "There's nothing I would want more than that."

* * *

_Read and review._


	28. Unbroken

_Dragon Slaer: Thanks._

_South Down: Well, it does take place between Seasons 21-22._

_Guest: Eh, still not a big fan of that ship._

_Nicole980: Yeah._

_Walter Bryan Cranston White: No; this is._

* * *

The following day, Stan stepped down as student body vice president. He simply told PC Principal it was "no longer necessary".

Meanwhile, Kyle and Heidi had both left the hospital. Once they did, they were greeted with the news that their fundraiser had been a rousing success. Even though the video presentation had been ruined, once it had gone online, it had gotten millions of views within days, with the number growing every hour. Money donated to the fundraiser had skyrocketed.

That wasn't the biggest news, though. Apparently, the video had even managed to reach those in office. Since President Garrison was on the run and no longer able to make decisions, they had apparently decided to take Kyle's advice to actively help the people suffering in Canada, whether by repairing the damage or taking in those left homeless. When Kyle heard the news, he actually shed a few tears. He knew it would never fully undo the damage he'd caused, but that he was finally making a positive impact was enough for him.

Meanwhile, Heidi had stopped hearing from Cartman. The most of it was that Butters had taken her aside to tell her on Cartman's behalf that her ex-boyfriend had decided to wait until Heidi went back to ask him for forgiveness, and maybe, he would accept it and take her back. Heidi had no plans of doing that, so that was the greatest news ever.

She and Kyle still weren't exactly on speaking terms, though. Kyle no longer scowled when he saw her or turned away whenever she entered the room, but she could still feel the barrier between them, even if it was weakening. A part of her was still sorrowful that their relationship wasn't like it was before, but she had hope.

Perhaps, with time, they would be able to be friends once more.

* * *

Francis was packing his things in his locker when he noticed Nelly shuffle up to him. "Hey," She said, sounding uncharacteristically nervous.

"Um, hello?" Francis replied, equally unsure.

"So. . . uh, it turns out Kelly was the one who spread the rumors about us being back together," Nelly said, rubbing her knuckles together. "She said she saw us sitting near each other at the jungle gym and just assumed the worst. She apologized."

"Oh," Was all Francis said.

There was an awkward silence between the two. "Look, when I accused you of starting that rumor, I was just kind of scared," Nelly explained. "I was afraid if my girl friends thought I was back together with you, they would turn on me."

"Okay," Francis replied.

"I should've known better than to have just rushed in and assumed the worst," Nelly went on. "I've dated you for a while, and I know you're not the kind of guy to start rumors behind someone's back. There's no excuse; I'm sorry."

"Thanks," Francis whispered. "You didn't have to be scared of the girls turning on you. You're a loyal person; that's part of why I liked you."

Nelly blushed. "So, uh, if you want to talk more, I'm always free on recess," She said, flicking one of her pigtails to the side.

"Sure," Francis replied, nodding. With a shy smile, Nelly turned and headed outside for recess.

The conversation hadn't gone unnoticed by Stan. After Kyle and Heidi had left the hospital, it had become increasingly common for boys and girls to start talking with one another; not out of obligation or because the student body presidents made them, but because they _wanted _to. Even him and Wendy, when they had the time, had taken to chatting about mundane things with one another. They weren't dating, at least not yet, but they weren't on bad terms anymore.

It seemed Kyle and Nichole had had a bigger impact on the school than they expected.

Speaking of whom, Stan rushed down the hallway and outside, scanning the playground. After a few moments, he spotted Kyle and Nichole, sitting on the merry-go-round. They weren't alone; several of the boys, as well as Ike, were there, too. Smiling, Stan rushed to join them.

Kyle and Nichole had gone back to hanging out once he'd left the hospital. However, Kyle was now more open to talking with Stan, and Stan, in addition, had started hanging out with Nichole as well. Once he did, he'd started to find out why Kyle seemed to like her so much; Nichole was indeed a fun person to talk to.

"Hey, what's up?" Stan asked as he took a seat next to Kyle.

"Oh, nothing much," Kyle replied. His eye still had traces of blood from where his vessel had burst, but it had begun clearing up.

"Nothing much?" Tweek asked. "Thanks to you, our countries probably won't be going to war anymore! Yeah, the President hasn't been caught yet, but that also means he won't be around to mess up all your work! No more people are gonna have to die now!"

Kyle managed a weak smile, but it soon faded.

Stan frowned. "You know, Heidi told me about what happened before Cartman showed up on the bridge," He informed him. "About how you thought you would never be completely fixed."

"Oh," Kyle said bluntly. "That."

"You don't actually believe that, do you?" Stan asked. "That you can't be fixed?"

Kyle's mouth was a thin line. He looked all of his friends in the eyes, then let his eyes wander around the playground, gazing upon all of his schoolmates.

Finally, his eyes landed upon Heidi. She was standing by the swings, surrounded by several of her girl friends. The same ones who had despised her not to long ago, were now chatting and laughing with her, no trace of antagonism in their voices, nor from Heidi. She looked the happiest he'd seen her in a while.

A small smile appeared on his lips. "You know, I don't think it matters if I'll ever be completely fixed," He whispered. "Because as long as you're all here with me, how broken can I be?" With that, he pulled Stan, Nichole and Ike close to him in a group hug.

He shuffled a bit when Craig joined the embrace. Followed by Tweek, then Butters, and Token, who placed a hand on Nichole's shoulder. Soon, all of the boys had joined in.

Kyle closed his eyes and smiled, and a tear of joy slipped from his eye. As he hugged them all close to him, a whisper escaped his lips.

"You're _all _my Super Best Friends."

* * *

_The End._


End file.
